New guy at CHS: The Mystic Realm
by PhantomBlazeBrony
Summary: Shining Cobalt returns to the city of Canterlot after 6 years. The girls had already graduated from high school and college, but they were still eager to hear from Cobalt. He returns to them with a proposition, and a chance to be with him again. The only catch is: They must leave everything behind in Canterlot, and come with Cobalt to the mystic realm to attend Starlight Academy!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Welcome everyone to the uploading of the New guy at CHS series on . I have uploaded this on fimfiction, but I don't feel like I can get much publicity on that website. So instead of just sticking to that one website for my MLP:FiM fanfictions, I'll use profile, as I originally planned, for uploading as well. In this first prologue chapter, there will be a recap of major events that happened in the prequel so that you don't have to go back and read it. However, if you do wish to read that story, just scroll through my profile. Anyway, gear up, this is a lengthy prologue. Mostly because of the recap!

* * *

 _Previously on New guy at CHS!_

 _My name is Shining Cobalt, and I'm a normal student._ _You see, I've been dubbed as "too much" for schools to teach._

 _I suppose the reason is because I've spent nearly my entire childhood life in studying in the mountains, secluded from society. My mother taught me everything there is to know about the world. The beginning, and she even went on to predict the end of it as well. She even decided to teach me the mystic ways of humans. I didn't understand what she meant by that, but I agreed to learn either way._

"Principal Celestia?" A voice said fron behind Cobalt.

 _This voice was light, elegant... someone with this tone of voice is obviously refined in some sort of way. I would be lying if I said it didn't entice me..._

 _"First off, let's get our formalities out of the way. My name is Rarity."_

 _Rarity held out her hand, as Cobalt and shook it, adding a bow with it, "Shining Cobalt, though I'd prefer you to call me Cobalt. It's a pleasure to meet you."_

 _So this is Rarity. I heard about her from some of the locals. She's definitely refined in all_ _the_ _ways you can imagine. Apparently, she runs a boutique which is extremely impressive._ _I'll_ _have to look to see_ _if_ _she can sow me some nice clothes._

 _Her elegance and creativity could sparks across any type of commoner, myself included. However,_ _I_ _doubt_ _that_ _I_ _could match the elegance_ _she's_ _looking_ _for_ _in a_ _life partner. Oh well,_ _let's_ _get this tour the road._

Cobalt stood up as he stretched his body. He proceeded to walk back downstairs as he saw students walk by him just casually talking to each other. He smiled and continued on to the cafeteria.

Once he had arrive, he saw Rarity at a table with who assumed were her friends. Rarity caught a glimpse of Cobalt amongst the crowd of people, and waved him over, "Oh Cobalt darling, over here!"

 _Ok, so she obviously has friends, which is the usual. However, I don't think it would be best for me to join in on whatever conversation they had._

 _"Hey Cobalt, Rarity told us a lot about you," A rainbow-haired girl said as she patted his back fiercely,_ _ _"Hey, I'm Rainbow Dash, the most athletic, and coolest gal in the whole school."_  
_

 _That could be a serious overstatement. Although, I wouldn't hold it against her. My sister does the same sometimes... actually, my whole family does that. Even I do that sometimes..._

 _"H-Hi, I'm Fluttershy..."_

 _So we have a shy one here. Hm, judging by her look and what she eats, she must be an animal. That's nice. Perhaps I should show her the animals back home._

 _"Pinkie Pie's the name, and partying is my game. Wait, did that rhyme? I hope it didbecauseIwanttobesurethat-."_

 _Okokokok, this must be the extremely outgoing girl out of the group. If the school isn't lively, she'll sure as hell make it lively..._

 _"My name is Sunset Shimmer, it's nice to meet you Cobalt."_

 _She seems... normal, but I can tell she has something else on her mind. It doesn't look like she's thinking about someone, more like... a recent occurrence has caught her attention. Wait, did she see me use... nah, that can't be the case..._

 _I never left my home. You see, I reside far deep in the mountains. The reason was so that we could heighten the strength of our minds. The reason I'm so smart is because I spent my entire life studying._

 _Soon realizing that is was finally my time to leave the mountains, I tried my best to impose this choice to my mother, and she finally gave in. For 5 years, I was sent from multiple schools for that one reason I told Rarity._

 _"Really?" They all stared at Cobalt as he leaned back and looked towards the ceiling. He closed his eyes as his hands started to glow white._

 _I wish I had friends... I just never attended a school long enough to make any. You may think that with how I act, I would make many friends because of my politeness, but that's not the deal here. In fact, I barely remember my time at those schools. Wait, why do I feel my power... oh shit!_

 _Cobalt instantly opened his eyes, causing his hands to stop glowing. He looked at the girls to see their reaction, and they stared at him with shock, "Uh, I gotta go!" Before Cobalt could get up, Sunset stopped him._

 _"Can you use magic?"_

 _"Well, it's part of the reason I spent nearly my whole life in the mountains for this type of training. You see, my family are full of mystics. You see a mystic is a person who seeks by contemplation and self-surrender to obtain unity with or absorption into the Deity or the absolute, or who believes in the spiritual apprehension of truths that are beyond the intellectual power of us human beings. My mother trained me so that I may gain the mystical powers of a mystic. I was suppose to keep my powers a secret, but I'm just too stubborn to just not use them. It may be a reason as to why I haven't been able to stay at a school."_

 _"Wait, aren't mystics suppose to be good?"_

 _"Well, yes and no."_

 _Applejack, though I didn't meet her on my first day, I met her the next day. Apparently, she stayed home because she fell ill a few days before. She came back the next day, and I introduced myself to her. Aj does have a weird accent, but that doesn't stop me from thinking that she is amazing beyond doubt. She's strong-willed, rarely gives up, which is a running trend between the girls, and can make a mean apple pie. She's quite caring, but much like Rainbow, she doesn't pull any punches. She's quite honest with everyone... in my opinion is fine... in certain situations..._

 _Hehe, I guess it is good to have friends. Actually, I don't think I'll make it three months if I keep using my powers like this. I need to find a way to... not use my powers..._

 _You can control them if you just accept it!_

 _Huh? Who's there?_

 _You know who I am, I am you..._

 _Huh?_

 _"Cobalt? Who are you talking to?"_

 _"What?" Cobalt looked around to see all his friends staring at him, "Uh..."_

 _"Well, you were speaking out loud again, but it sounded like you were walked to someone. Who was it?"_

 _"Uh, oh it's nothing. Let's head on to my apartment!" Cobalt stood up, and began walking off._

 _Who are you?! What are you?!_

 _All you need is me, and you'll be back on your feet in no time._

 _Cobalt's eyes bolted open as he searched for the voice, but to no avail. He then heard it speak again._

 _Come on, you are what you see..._

 _He finally turned towards the window and saw himself, the same one he saw in the dream from the other day._

 _Just accept it and come to me. You'll feel so much better!_

 _Cobalt gritted his teeth, and leapt from his bed. He picked up a nearby chair, and threw it at the window, "Leave me alone!"_

 _"Oh man..., well, I think we'll be getting some help soon. I talked to Twilight."_

 _"What?!"_

 _"Yeah, I remembered about this book Princess Celestia gave me. I would use it to send her messages. Hopefully Twilight sees the message I sent her, and she'll come to help."_

 _"What help could she do now? What could she do for Cobalt...," Rarity said as she stared at the ground._

 _"Well, I told her the situation, so maybe she could have a plan. Right now, I have no idea what could do..."_

 _"Perhaps we can be of assistance...," They turned towards the feminine voice. A familiar voice..._

 _"Principal Celestia?"_

 _They then saw another woman beside her, "Who's that?" Sunset asked._

 _"This... is Cobalt's mother."_

 _"Huh?!"_

 _"Yes, precisely. You see, my husband was consumed by the dark power, and soon, my son will too. Which is why I ask all of you, to stay away from my son..."_

 _"What?!"_

 _"We don't want to abandon him. So far, he's been fine. Today was the first day he's ever shown sign of this dark power. He just wants to live a normal life, and this dark power is preventing him from doing so."_

 _"Cobalt's father... he's here. We're all doomed... it's too late..."_

 _Hm? I didn't know it was your style to know I was on the Overworld my son. I'm quite impressed."_

 _"Duel me father!"_

 _"Hm? I didn't think you'd be so up front with a duel against the King of the Underworld. How smart of a decision do you think that is?"_

 _"Grr, I will defeat you, and prove my strength! Get ready!" Cobalt let out a battle cry before charging full force towards his father._

 _"I can't allow myself to foolishly die here because of my choice. If I die here, my friends will be in danger... that just isn't going to happen here. I can't allow myself to die. Not here, not now, not ever..."_

 _Then use me, I am your only choice in this matter. Use my full power!_

 _"Yes... it's my only choice!"_

 _"You can't let yourself be consumed by the dark power. Think about what you'll lose if you lose control of the dark power!"_

 _"She's right... if I let myself lose control... I'll lose the only thing I ever wanted. Friends. The friends that I've made while at CHS will never be my friends again if I allow myself to lose control. Alright, just calm down... calm down. Don't be like father. Be yourself. I am... Shining Cobalt. Boy genius.. mystic... greatest friend of all time!"_

 _"So, you like my brother? Even after only a week of him being at CHS?"_

 _"Now, how do each of you feel towards my son?" The girls were surprised at the sudden question, "It's obvious all of you see my son in a different light. Notably, in a romantic light. I want to hear from all of you, except Fluttershy. I know about your experience, as for the rest of you, lay it on me. You first Rarity."_

 _"Well, your son is just a fine person. You've raised to be such a fine young man who is respectful to everyone he meets, regardless of who they are. Yes, he does love to goof off, but he's still a responsible young man," Rarity fiddled with her skirt as she continued speaking, "Cobalt to me is like someone that comes only once in a lifetime. He's... someone I wish to marry..., and give my life to..."_ _"Rainbow, how about you?"_

 _"Well, not only is he caring for us, but he's crazy athletic. I asked him to come with me to the gym a few times, and that dude knows how to make the grind for a better body. He even told me his workout routine he had in the mountains."_

 _"I see. Applejack, do you have to say anything? Or is your answer the same as these two?"_

 _"Well, Cobalt is always a helpful person. Ah can't say how many times he voluntarily helped out at the farm. He knows that if there's help needed for someone, somewhere out there, then he'll do his best to help that one person that needs it..."_

 _"Yes, he does love helping everyone. Pinkie, how about you?"_

 _"Well, Cobalt is fun to be with! I would go to his nearly everday to hang out with him. He also loves pulling pranks on people. Pranks are easier with him around since he'sa mystic. He can set up some weird places for pranks. That's not the only reason though...," Pinkie then got serious, "I... somewhat wish I had met earlier in my life. Maybe my life would've taken a different turn... for the best..."_

 _"Yes, he does love helping everyone. Which brings me to one last person. Sunset, from what I see, you love Cobalt just as much as everyone else here."_

 _"Huh?"_

 _"You've tried to repress your feelings all this time, but in these past 2 weeks, you just couldn't hold your feelings back anymore. Why? Is it because your old persona is preventing to express said feelings?"_

 _"No... I..."_

 _"Or... are you embarrassed to tell your friends?"_

 _"You love my son because of how intelligent he is. Because of who he is. His looks, his persona, and even his goofiness. You love everything about him, don't you?"_

 _"I... love Cobalt...," Sunset says quietly. Too quietly for anyone to here her._ _"What was that?"_

 _"I said I love Cobalt with all my heart!"_

 _"I'm moving to the mystic for an indefinite length of time. I've been chosen to teach at a school for mystics in training. After knowing what I've been through, and my raw power as a mystic, my mother earned me a job at this said school. I don't how long I'll be there, or if I even come back. Which is why by that time... I want all of you... to go out with me equally. This is actually the real reason I said that I'll start doing relationships in 3 months. This wasn't something I went by when I started school. It was something I started in case something like this happened. I know this will make me seem like a player, but I just want all of you to be happy until that time comes. You can hate me if you want as well... I just thought all of you would've like to have known this little piece of information..."_

 _"Oh, we should visit your village one day. Perhaps when you finish off your community service next week. It can be like a nice... outing with all of us before you leave."_

 _"Yeah... you're right. I should do that."_

 _Cobalt stood around at the entrance of his village, which was now no more. It looked as if his whole village had burnt to the ground, "What happened here?!"_

 _"What happened...? My village...," Cobalt fell to his knees as he glanced at his village. His whole village was now no more. Burnt down, without a trace._

 _"How could this have happened?" He then remembered his mother, "Where's my mom. She was in Canterlot only a few days ago. Surely she's fine..."_

 _"Mom!"_

 _"Cobalt, what's with the horse?"_

 _"That doesn't matter. Is my mother alright?"_

 _"She hasn't responded to our calls. We don't know her actual condition."_ _Cobalt glanced at his mother as he hopped off Blitz. He knelt down in front of his mother, and held her hand, "Mom, are you alright?"_

 _No response..._

 _"Please, you have to tell me so I can help you..."_

 _Still no response..._ _"Mom...," Cobalt did something the girls has never seen him do before... cry, "Mom, please, you can't do this. You're stronger than this. You can't die!"_

 _His tears started to roll down his cheeks like a waterfall. If everything that has happened to him before didn't break him, then this would._ _Cobalt's resolve was stone-built. It was thought to be impenetrable, but nothing can break through your resolve like the death of a close family member._

 _"Mom!" Cobalt yelled into the air as he hugged his mom. More than, clung to her her as his tears just wouldn't stop flowing._ _His friends couldn't help but cry with him. They had never seen Cobalt break down to this extent, or more so cry. Rumbles of thunder could be heard in the distance as Cobalt continued hugging his now deceased mother._

 _"Cobalt, we should go..."_

 _"Gate...," A portal to their school now opened next to them, "Go on without me..."_

 _"But Cobalt..."_

 _"Go, I need to bury her, and take Blitz back with me to town. I'll see all of you in about 3 days. Tell Principal Celestia the situation."_

 _"Cobalt...," Rarity attempted to stay, but Sunset grabbed her shoulder before she could, "Alright, don't be gone too long. We'll tell your sister about what happened here."_

 _"Okay, please, just leave me alone for the time being. Take Lazuli with all of you. Lazuli, when I find your parents, I'll take them to you," They all nodded as they stepped through the portal. Cobalt continued looking at his deceased mother. He sighed as he picked her up, "Come on Blitz. Let's go bury her."_

 _Hey everyone, I decided to leave some of my belongings at your homes. Since I'll have plenty of new stuff to use in the mystic realm, I won't be needing any of this stuff. Rarity, the clothes that you've made for me for the party are in the box on your front porch._

 _Rarity looked down at the box, and saw the clothes Cobalt had worn not long ago. It was neatly folded and stacked nicely in the box._

 _Don't worry, I'm not traveling in the nude. I have some extra clothes in my flak sack. As for you two animal gals, Fluttershy and Applejack, I'm leaving my horse, Blitz, in your able care. Fluttershy, I trust that you will help Applejack take care of Blitz, right? I won't know if you'll say yes, so I'll continue._

 _Applejack saw Blitz slowly moving towards her, and moving her head down to be petted. Applejack did so with a large smile on her face._

 _Rainbow, I know how much you like seeing my halberd, so I'm leaving that with you. I won't have any use for it in the mystic realm, so I'm leaving it in your care. Just, don't go out swinging it all willy-nilly. It's a little heavy too, so I don't even think you'll be able to do so. Just keep it sharp, and don't let it rust._

 _Rainbow Dash was seen dragging Cobalt's halberd to her backyard, "A little heavy my ass..."_

 _Pinkie, I left a special present for you that I made not long ago. I call it, the Tri-Party Cannon!_

 _"Tri-Party Cannon!" Pinkie fired off her newly obtained Party Cannon gleefully. She picked up the note and kissed it, "Thank you Cobalt! This is the best gift EVER!"_

 _And lastly, for you Sunset, I left my Book of Mystics there for you so you can learn more about being a mystic. It can also probably help with that little magic problem you girls are having. Also, Sunset, you may learn a thing or two about us mystics that you never knew._

 _That's pretty much it. By the time you read these letter I would already have been starting repairs on the village. I know it's nighttime, but I can't waste any time. If I'm to restore this village back to its former glory, I need to start fast. Anyway, I'll hopefully be with all of you again soon enough. Farewell again, and thanks for the laughs and memories._

 _From, that lovable mystic, Cobalt._

 _-6 years later-_

 _The girls had graduated both from high school and college, and their lives just aren't complete without Cobalt there with them. It's been 6 years since any of them had seen or heard from Cobalt. They've assumed that he's already teaching at the school since his sister said that the village was repaired and better than it was before._ _The girls still haven't lost touch with each other, and they even got a new friend. Twilight Sparkle... well, the Twilight from their world. After the whole ordeal at the Friendship Games, they befriended the Twilight from their world, and made more friends and enemies along the way. However, they wish that Cobalt would just visit them just one time._

 _Twilight hasn't met the guy, but she knows that he's impacted their lives heavily, and she doesn't like seeing her friends the way they are now. She wished that this man she has never seen before, Shining Cobalt, would return from his time in the mystic realm. Well, you know what happens next..._

 _A young blue-haired man walked the road that shared the path of Applejack's farm. He looked at the animals of the farm and spotted one unique horse. Applejack noticed, and walked over to the man, "How ya doin' partner? Can ah help you?"_

 _"Uh, just checking that horse over there. She looks like a good horse."_

 _"Yeah, she can really run."_

 _"That's nice. Well, it was nice meeting you again Aj."_

 _"Again? Wait, that hair... that voice. No, it could just be a coincidence."_

 _The man looked back and smirked, "Gate!" A large portal in front of him appeared, causing Applejack's eyes to widen._

 _"Cobalt!" She pulled out her phone, and started calling her friends._

 _Meanwhile, the young man, now identified as Cobalt arrived near Rarity's boutique, "Applejack deary, slow down. It's hard enough to understand you past that accent. Cobalt is here? Nonsense, Cobalt hasn't been in Canterlot in 6 years. He's probably living a better life in the mystic realm," She then heard the bell for her door ring as Cobalt walked through, "Let me call you back... Apple...jack..."_

 _"What's up Rarity... long time no see?"_

 _Rarity smiled, and ran into Cobalt's arms, "Cobalt... why... are you here?"_

 _"Shush, just let it out...," Rarity let out tears of joy as she was being held by the love of her life... Shining Cobalt. The reason Cobalt is there will have to be saved for another time..._

* * *

Cobalt and his old friends sat around at Cobalt's old house in the kitchen. Each of them were having beers and sodas alike. Emerald and Lazuli looked on from the nearby living room while watching T.V.

"So why are you here Cobalt? And after 6 years...," Rainbow Dash asked as she popped open a can of beer.

"Well, I've been busy at Starlight Academy, the school I've been teaching at. By the way, pass me a beer. I drink alcohol too you know," Rainbow tossed a can of beer at Cobalt, in which he caught with one hand.

"Nice catch dude."

"Thanks."

"Cobalt, you drink?" Rarity asked, somewhat shocked.

"The life of a teacher for a bunch of beginner mystics is hard. I picked up drinking after about a year after I started drinking."

"You started drinking under-aged?!"

"In the mystic realm, the drinking age is 18 instead of 21. It's weird yeah, but what can you do."

"Well, why are ya here after so long?" Applejack asked after chugging her soda.

"I wanted to ask you girls something that could... be hard to think about."

"What is it?"

"Well, I wanna ask if all of you would like to attend Starlight Academy, and be students in my next coming class."

"What?!" They all yelled in unison.

"Oh, my brother is now recruiting for Starlight, huh? That's a big step up, but why are you scouting the girls? Why not Lazuli here. She's gotten hella strong."

"No I haven't...," Lazuli blushed as she turned away from Cobalt's gaze, causing him to chuckle.

"She can join as well, but I can't guarantee that she'll be my student. I'm only recruiting students on the beginner-intermediate level."

"She [i]is[/i] an intermediate mystic. It's only been 6 years, so she hasn't really learned much. Most of our books on mystics were destroyed, remember?"

"Yes, I remember, but she won't be in the same class as the girls since she's intermediate."

"Can't you lie?"

"Yeah I could, I mean, I'm kind of lying about who the girls are at Starlight."

"Wait what?" They all looked at Cobalt as he finished off his beer, and stood up.

"You see, I told all of you that there was no way any of you would be able to attend Starlight because none of you have any mystics in your bloodline. However, thanks to your charming best mystic friend, I was able to get you girls the thumbs up from the headmistress. To be honest, she wouldn't have done if it was another teacher. The headmistress and I are close, so I was able to easily get the okay for you girls to go."

This is when the girls closed in on Cobalt furiously, "How close may we ask?" Cobalt chuckled nervously as he continued to back up as they got closer.

"Well, we usually go out on the weekends at the bar, or just simply to hang out. The headmistress is young. She's only 3 years older than us."

"Are you closer...," Rarity paused, a small pink blush appearing on her face as she asked, "Sexually?"

"No, we're just close friends. She's the only real reason all of you will be attending Starlight, but you will only attend, if you accept the invitation. If you don't, then I'll return to the mystic realm without any of you, and I'll return to my normal life there. Think about this big decision. Don't just go to be with me. I want all of you to go so you can learn more about being a mystic, and meet more people," Cobalt turned to his sister and asked, "Is my room still the same?"

"Yeah, I didn't touch it. Are you planning to stay?"

"Yeah, I'm only staying for one day. I expect an answer by tomorrow. I don't have long to stay here," Cobalt moved towards his old room, leaving the girls in a confused state.

* * *

Later that night, the girls talked over the phone.

"Isn't this what you wanted though? The chance to meet Cobalt again? Now you'll be able to see him again. Perhaps everyday"

"I don't know how I'll feel having him as a teacher though. I would like be with him again, but I'm with Rarity. Is it worth leaving all this behind?"

I don't know about all of you, but this is what we've been waiting for. A chance like this may not come again. I have nothing to lose here in Canterlot. I made the same choice when I left Equestria..."

Sunsets' right guys. Ah'm going with Cobalt to Starlight Academy."

So am I..."

I'd like to learn more about mystics, and from what you've talked about Cobalt, I'm interested in learning from him."

I'd love to be with Cobalt again, and make new friends. That just means more parties for me to throw for all the new friends I'm gonna make at Starlight!"

I would like to go as well. I'll probably see more unique animals that I've never seen before."

"You know, I would love to attend this academy for mystics. It would also give me a chance to flirt with Cobalt more."

I'd like to see what kind of athletics they would have there. Cobalt said that this was an all-girls school,

so I'd like to see how the athletes are like at this school."

"So it's settled everyone. We're heading off to Starlight Academy!"

They all agreed, and were eager to attend Starlight Academy.

* * *

That next morning, the girls had all their bags packed, and waited on Cobalt to leave his house, "What's taking Cobalt so long?" Rainbow asked as she tossed a rock up into the air continuously.

"Well, he said he was contacting our families so that they would know where we were going."

"Makes sense..."

Cobalt then stepped out wearing an white, elaborate, cool military attire, "Are all of you ready?"

Rainbow began to stifle in some laughter as she asked, "What are you wearing? It looks cool, but you look weird in it."

"It's my military uniform."

"You're in the military in the mystic realm?"

"Yeah, I'm one of their top generals. Anyway, let's get going," Cobalt held his hand up and said, "Gate!" Like usual, a portal opened, but not to where they expected.

"This doesn't look like a school Cobalt."

"Why would you bring your bags to a school? All of you are living with me in my house," They all stared at each other with wide eyes, and then they all quickly pushed Cobalt through the portal, "Whoa!"

"Now girls, since I'm a teacher at this school, I must leave the house 2 hours before all of you head off to school. Which is why I phoned a friend to take you girls to school everyday. As for waking up to get ready, you'll need to get up every morning, except weekends, at 6:15. Your ride will be here at 7:15-7:30. You must be at my class before 8:00. If you arrive after that, you'll be late, and you'll get a demerit."

"Demerit?" Twilight questioned.

"Our school uses demerits as a way to track a student's bad behavior. So let's say Rainbow Dash arrives to my class late. if you're late before the halfway mark for class, that's half a demerit."

"Why are you using me as an example?"

"Well, it's just an example. Anyway, show up late after that halfway point, then you get a full demerit. 4 demerits will result in expulsion from the school year effective immediately. They say school year, but they really mean indefinitely."

"Wow, only 4 demerit points?" Sunset asked as she rubbed her shoulder nervously, "That's a little harsh don't you think?"

"Yes, but it's for a good reason. You see, most of the graduates from this academy move on to join the Imperial Army, which is where I am currently enlisted in."

"Imperial Army? I'm still confused as to why you're in the army in general."

"Well, I joined the military here only about 7 months ago. I quickly rose through the ranks after holding my own against the commander of the Imperial Army, the headmistress's brother."

"Hold your own?"

"We just had a duel against each other. I lost, but I stood my ground against the strongest mystic in the entire universe."

"But I thought you were the strongest..."

"I'm in the top 5, but I'm not number one. I'm number 4, the headmistress is number 3, and 2 teachers at Starlight take the number 2 and 5 spot. Starlight has the elite teaching there, but take in the weak in an attempt to strengthen their resolve. If I may be honest, the Imperial Court dislikes the top mystics to be teaching the weak mystics."

"Why? Typical higher up bullshit?" Rainbow asked with disgust in her voice. She slammed her fist against the wall in anger, "I swear, it's always the high-class officials in these types of stories that like to pick on the weak, and dislike any attempt to help them."

"That's just not in stories or shows Rainbow. It happens everywhere. However, there's just nothing we can ever do about it. If we do, it would just stir up a lot of trouble," Cobalt snapped his fingers as he changed his clothes instantly to some basketball shorts and a tank top, "Whew, so glad to be out of that uniform. It's so tight in that thing, and I don't want to put that on again..."

"Why were you wearing it anyway?"

"Well, I had to since I were recruiting all of you to this academy. Now, I can just keep it calm until your first day of school. You first day is two weeks from now. Most of you will know how the school will work on your first day. But we don't want to wait any longer. Here we go with a time jump!"

* * *

-2 weeks later-

The girls all calmly slept through the morning of their first day of school as Cobalt moved through the house quickly making breakfast for the girls and getting their supplies for the first day ready. He sighed as he walked to each of the girls' rooms. Each room designed to meet their personalities. He smiled before picking up his briefcase, and leaving.

2 hours after he left, their alarms all blared on at the same time, jolting everyone awake. Everyone groggily got out of bed, and got on with their daily routines. One by one, each of them got ready, and headed off to the kitchen to gander at the meal Cobalt left for them. It was a normal breakfast for a normal day. Eggs, bacon, and pancakes of the sort.

"My, my, Cobalt has gotten a little better with preparing meals. Remember what happened last time he tried to cook something for us?"

"No," Twilight said, somewhat intrigued. They all laughed as they all had a flashback to 6 years ago...

* * *

-6 years ago-

"Alright, making pancakes shouldn't be that hard. Just put the thing in the other thing, and heat that thing as you prepare the thing to be put on that thing. Seems simple enough..."

All of his friends watched on as Cobalt didn't use any type of measuring cup what so ever.

"Uh, Cobalt darling, shouldn't you be reading the instructions?"

"Ha, a genius like me doesn't need any instructions. I have a vast library of knowledge right up here," Cobalt pointed to his head as he continued making incorrect measurements, "Alright, set the thing there, and done!" Cobalts "pancakes" then began bubbling... a lot, "Oh, this must be a good thing," The pancakes then grew in size. And they grew, and grew, and grew before... POP! Well, more like a "Boom!" more than anything.

Tons of pancake batter coated Cobalt and his friends. He looked at his friends and licked his face, smiling afterwards, "I think they came out alright," Cobalt and his friends soon burst out laughing at their friend's misfortune."

* * *

-Present time-

"Well, not everyone can be a master chef. But from you girls talked about in that flashback doesn't compare to what I see now," Twilight looked at how well cooked the food was, and how well portioned it was as well.

"Well, it has been 6 years. I know my darling Cobalt would improve on every skill he has. Even his charismatic skills."

"Yes, he did get us all to attend Starlight Academy, so we should expect that much. Well, should put a little pep in our step. Our ride should be here soon," They all nodded in agreement as they started to eat the meal prepared for them. Once they finished, they all went back to the living room to see 7 neatly placed backpacks on the couch. On them, was a note.

Here are your supplies you'll need for your time here at Starlight. You girls should be thankful to me for getting all of this ahead of time. I need all of you to be in the headmistress's office the moment you get there. You'll see me waiting in the front as you arrive. You won't know where to go without me either way. It's a big school, so just a heads up.

As they finished the note, they heard a honk outside, "You know, I'm wondering why isn't there a portal to the school or something. I mean, it is a school for mystics," Twilight began to wonder.

"Well, there are beginners that can't use their powers well, so maybe that's the reason," Sunset answered, "Maybe as you get in a higher class, you'll be able to use your powers with ease. We'll probably see a lot of upperclassmen teleporting to class."

"Probably..."

"Well, times' a wastin' everyone. Let's get going!" Applejack left out the house, followed by the others. They never really looked outside mostly because they were still trying to get used to the jet lag they had. Nighttime in the mystic realm, is daytime in their world. They've spent more time sleeping then they wished they would've had traded for spending time with Cobalt.

Now, comes their first day... at a school for mystics...

 _Oh hey, haven't done this in a while. I don't know if I still talk out loud or not, but it's been a while everyone. 6 years... I didn't think it was that long. But hey, you're back with more adventures with me, so I can't wait for all of you to enjoy this adventure with us again. You won't believe what happens in this series. I mean, you can already tell what's going to happen here. I mean, they're living with me now!_


	2. Chapter 2

The girl stepped outside to see an SUV parked out front, where two people in said SUV looked familiar.

"Twins...?" Rarity thought back to Cobalt's battle with his father, "You're the twins that were helping Cobalt's father!"

"You're the girls Cobalt is in love with!" The girls paused as the twins mentioned Cobalt being in love with them.

"Wait, Cobalt loves all of you?" Twilight questioned, "Wow, you never told me that about Cobalt."

"Yes, much to our dismay. When we were reformed, Cobalt allowed us to live near him in the mystic realm so that he could look after us. Over time, we developed feelings for him, but them he told all of you were the ones he loved...," One of the twins explained. She then took a long sigh and said, "Well, that's all behind us now. I'd like to introduce ourselves. My name is Midnight Gleam, and this is my sister Silver Light."

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you under these circumstances," Silver smiled as she said this, "These circumstances are much better than the one we had before."

"How long did the reformation take?"

"We should probably talk about that while we drive all of you to school," They all agreed as they each hopped into the twins' car. Once they drove off, they started, "Our reformation took about 2-3 years. After that, our whole mindset changed, and we're even teachers at Starlight."

"Wait, then that means..."

"Yes, I'm the 2nd strongest mystic, and Silver here is the 4th strongest mystic. She would be higher if she wasn't so lazy," Midnight said as she looked at her sister angrily.

"I can't help it sis. It's just so much work being a teacher, and dealing with snot-nosed kids..."

"You see, my sister and I teach the Advance classes, and by that time, the kids feel as if they're better than everyone even though they're in the same room with one of the strongest mystics in the entire universe. In a duel, they would all be destroyed by either of us."

"I would expect the beginners to do something like that."

"They do, but that's why Cobalt is there. The beginners are so bad, that even us teachers can't even keep our cool around them. As for Cobalt, he always handles the situation with such a unique composure."

"Even the headmistress is surprised at how tranquil Cobalt is when a student decides to mouth off to Cobalt. And trust me, he gets a lot of those simply because he's a male. Since it's an all-girls school, the girls at Starlight tend to dislike Cobalt."

"Hmph, that's just not right. They don't know Cobalt, and yet, they judge him based on his gender? That's just infuriating...," Rarity clenched her hands in anger, much to her friends' surprise. Rarity soon realized this, and calmed down a little, "Sorry, that was just too out of character for me. I don't know what got over me..."

"It's probably because of your love for Cobalt, and how much you understand who he truly is. You're probably angry at the girls that show him that type of behavior. However, those girls do change by the end of the year."

"They do? How come?"

"As they begin to spend time with Cobalt, they soon learn who he truly is, and learn his character. Those girls may not say it, but they said that they wish they could spend another year with Cobalt because of who is. I don't know if any of them fall in love with him, but I have a feeling a few do since Cobalt is the only male on campus."

The girls groaned at this. Not only will Cobalt have the headmistress possibly in love with him, but possible students as well.

Twilight on the other hand, still didn't know Cobalt well, and wasn't really too keen about attending Starlight. Even if she is interested in learning the ways of the mystic, she's still somewhat skeptical about this offer.

 _"As much as I want to attend Starlight, I just can't shake this feeling of... gah, I can't think of the word. Like something bad is going to happen to not just Cobalt, but to us as well. Not even that, but I feel as if something will happen to this whole realm..."_

They soon arrived at the school to see Cobalt waiting for them outside. Midnight pulled in front of Cobalt, and he waved to them, "Thanks for taking the girls to school. I'll pay you girls back somehow."

"Oh don't mind it, we're going to find a way," Midnight winked as the girls hopped out the car. Midnight waved them off as she drove off to park.

"Cobalt, I have a question," Twilight started.

"Yeah?"

"Well, this is the mystic realm, right?

"Yeah, what about it?"

"I see cars and normal buildings like back in Canterlot. Shouldn't it be a little... different from our world?"

"Well, multiple types of humans live here. So lets say there's a family that has some children that aren't born mystics, or choose to live the normal human being life, and they create these buildings and cars. Basically, there are mystics that live normally, and don't live the 'mystic' lifestyle."

"Wow, so that explains both the cars and buildings."

"Yes it does, but lets go ahead and start heading towards the headmistress' office."

They all nodded as they followed Cobalt through the school to the headmistress' office. He waved them over to two large wooden doors. The girls stared at the door, and were immediately intimidated. Cobalt opened the doors to reveal a large office that had a lower floor, and an upper floor that held many books. The contents of those books were enigmatic to the girls.

They soon saw a large desk with a large chair turned away from them. The chair slowly turned towards them to reveal a beautiful, white haired woman. They saw Cobalt kneel down on one knee in response to this, "Good day to you Harmony."

"And a good day to you Cobalt," She looked at the 7 girls that stood before her, "Are these the friends you had talked about Cobalt?"

"Yes, they had arrived 2 weeks ago. They are still adjusting to life in the mystic realm."

"I see. Well girls, as you know, you aren't mystics. However, through the charming abilities of your friend Cobalt, he was able to convince me to allow all of you to attend Starlight. I only ask that you stay on top of your studies, and don't be obvious about your lack of mystical powers."

"Yes ma'am!" They all responded.

"That's good. Cobalt, you can handle the rest. Your class is waiting for you. By the way, we're still up for this weekend, right?"

"Obviously, same time, same place?"

"Of course, have a nice day Cobalt. The same goes for you girls."

"Yes!"

They all nodded before leaving the office. All the girls eager for their first day, and what the two are doing this coming weekend.

The girls soon arrived to a classroom full of girls that all seemed to look the same age as them, or even younger.

"Take your seats girls. I have to take role," They nodded before taking their seats, "Now, let's take role here girls!" One of the students raised her hands before he started, "Yes?"

"Why are you teaching here?" Cobalt sighed as she continued, "I mean, this is an all-girls school. So why is a man teaching here?"

Cobalt looked at his clipboard and snickered, "So your name is Lightning Breeze. You're an intermediate in a beginner class. If you're an intermediate in a class for beginners, then there must be a reason for that too," Some of the students started to chuckle at Cobalt's remark, "Please, I'll tell why if you tell why. Seems simple enough, right?"

The girl sat in silence as Cobalt grinned, "Well, from the looks of it, it seems you mouth off a little too much. Well, from what your file here says. You're a mystic that specializes in illusion magic... interesting."

"What's so interesting about it?"

"Oh nothing much, I mean, you should know. You are a mystic."

"Hmph! I will not tolerate this type of treatment. Especially from you! You don't deserve to be in the top 5. Top 55 yeah."

"Need I remind you that 55 is still better than you. You're ranked 45,768."

"What?! That's not right! There must be some sort of mistake!"

"I hope you know the headmistress solidifies your rank once you enter Starlight. The only way you can get higher is by defeating someone in a higher rank than you in a duel."

"Then... I'll duel you Shining Cobalt!"

"That's... not a smart idea."

"Why? Don't want to be bumped down lower? I saw your duel against the Commander of the Imperial Army. A little disappointing if you ask me. But that's to be expected from someone like you."

Rarity then jumped from her seat and confronted the young student, "How dare you talk about him like that as if you know him! You don't know single thing about this man, and yet you berate him simply because he's man?! I pity you in the future young lady!"

"Who do you think you are talking to me like that?! I should teach you a lesson after defending this poor excuse for a mystic!"

"Poor excuse! You don't know the extent of his power as a mystic!"

"Rarity, Lightning, calm yourselves."

"I do know. Everyone watched that duel between him and the commander. It was a poor sight to see. He was number 2 at the time, and that's all we got out of number 2!"

"Who's to say he even tried! If he had cared about a silly duel, he would've destroyed this commander!"

"Enough out of both of you!" Cobalt broke the two apart, and forced both of them against the wall with such force, that it shook the building, "I will not permit any type of altercation in my classroom. Both of you, detention after school today."

"What!"

"No, that's final, unless you'd rather be suspended."

"Yes sir...," Both girls held their head down defeated as they both took a seat.

"Rarity, I'd like to talk to you after class."

"But..."

"No back talk. After class, got it?"

"Y-Yes... sir..."

"Alright, let's continue with class."

Rarity was surprised to see Cobalt take such authority towards her. It shocked her, and caused just a little bit of fear out of her. Even so, she could understand. He is the head of this classroom, and she did interrupt the class. So did Lightning, but she felt no remorse for what she did.

After class, Rarity went to see Cobalt as told to, "You wanted to see me Cobalt?"

"Rarity, I'm really disappointed in you."

"What?"

"I expect behavior like that out of Rainbow, but not you. You're suppose to keep your composure, but I guess that's hard when someone you love is being insulted right in front of you..."

"Cobalt..."

"Look, this better not happen again. Not from you, or the others. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir!"

"Good, dismissed."

She nodded and ran off to her friends who were waiting outside. Rainbow smirked at her, causing her to blush slightly, "What?"

"You got in trouble. You got in trouble," Rainbow said like a little kid teasing someone.

"Oh hush, I was just defending our beloved friend Cobalt."

"Midnight did say Cobalt could handle those situations with ease, so there was no reason for you to interfere," Twilight said as she scanned a textbook Cobalt handed out during class.

"Yes I know, but hearing that girl bad mouth Cobalt when she didn't know him on a personal level like us just... irritated me. Cobalt is a good man, and he's proven it."

"I agree with you Rarity," Sunset responded, which caused Rarity to smile, "but remember, Midnight said by the end of the year, his students grow to like him to the point of not wanting to leave his class. Give it some time Rarity. They'll come around."

"You're right. Maybe I was just overreacting."

"Yeah, come on."

Before Rarity could move, she heard Cobalt call out to her, "I forgot to say Rarity. Detention will be 2 hours. I'll tell you more when you get to detention."

"Alright..."

After she remembered about her detention, she sighed as she walked with her friends.

-Detention time-

Rarity arrived back at Cobalt's classroom late. She already sees Cobalt waiting outside his door with a look of disappointment, "You're late Rarity..."

"I'm sorry Cobalt darling. It's just this place is so huge and I got lost and..."

"Alright I get it. Just take your seat away from Lightning. All you have to do is stay quiet for 2 hours, and you'll be free to go," Both nodded as both sat quietly, "If any of you utter anything, I'll increase your time here by 30 minutes," Rarity nodded, and Lightning sighed in frustration.

As 90 minutes past, Lightning began to groan loudly, "Oh my goodness! This is such a waste of my time!"

"Extra 30 for you Lightning..."

"Oh whatever, it's not like you have any thing to do after this."

"Extra...," Cobalt trailed off, and grew a wide smirk on his face.

"What?"

"You know what? Let's see if you can back up your words from earlier. If you really say you're such a great mystic, and can surpass my power, then let's have a duel. If you're up for it."

"But..."

"What? Are you all talk and no bite? Quite disappointing if you ask me."

"No way! I accept your challenge! Tomorrow morning, after first bell!"

"Very well then. Only then will you know my true power."

"Cobalt, what are you doing?!"

"Hush Rarity, this was bound to happen," Rarity looked at the two, and she could see the flames in both of their eyes.

Lightning had a look of determination, and Cobalt had a smirk on his face. Who would win between these two? Is it obvious, or will the unexpected happen?


	3. Chapter 3

That next morning, the entire school gathered to see this duel between Cobalt and Lightning. His friends watched on as the headmistress sat with them, "Ms. Harmony!"

"Don't worry, I'm just here to see how my fellow teacher handles this situation. This isn't the first time this has happened you know."

"Huh?"

"Yes, Cobalt has dueled our students before, and each time... he's lost. Even so, he hasn't lost his place in the rankings. Why? Because of me."

 _"He's lost? But Cobalt is suppose to be one of the strongest mystics out there. How could my darling Cobalt lose?"_

"We have quite the crowd here Lightning. As expected when you duel me. However, don't expect me to go easy on you."

Midnight stepped up in between them, "As you both know, this is a duel! Your hit points are displayed above me!" Midnight looked above to show a massive scoreboard that showed both Cobalt's and Lightning's faces and their hits points. Both had 500 hit points, "The duel is over once one of your hit points are are depleted completely, when one of you surrenders, or whoever's hit points is the lowest when the time is up! Fighters, equip your weapons!"

Lightning spawned in two unique looking swords. She twirled them around so fast that no one could even see them in her hands as she did so. Once she got into a battle stance, a large fiery explosion surrounded her.

"Hmph, a little flashy are we?" After Cobalt said this, whipped his hand down as a long katana appeared from thin air.

"I was wondering how he was going to fight without his halberd," Rainbow said as she remembered that Cobalt's halberd was still in Canterlot.

"Fighters, are you ready?"

Both said nothing as they stared each other down. A look of determination across one of their faces, and a smirk across the other.

"Very well then, let the fight... begin!" Midnight quickly teleported away as Lightning moved with such speed, that it caught everyone off guard. She appeared behind Cobalt, and attempted to hit him, but before her sword could come into contact with him, a force around his body prevented from doing so, pushing her back.

"What is this?"

"You can't get past my defenses just using speed. My ability 6th sense allows me to sense everything around me as long as I focus on one thing. That one thing is you," Cobalt jumped forward, and turned towards Lightning, "You'll have to find another way past my ability."

"Headmistress, what is this ability crap he's talking about?" Rainbow asked.

"Each mystic is born with a unique ability that can increase one's already powerful abilities. Cobalt, along with the rest of the top 5 mystics were born with more than one. One of Cobalt's special abilities is what he just said, is 6th sense. He allows himself to focus on one target, and that one target alone. Once he focuses on that one target, all of his senses increase to inhumane lengths in order to stay on that one target."

"Wow, but wait won't that be useless when..."

"Yes, since Lightning specializes in illusion, she can easily create an illusion, taking his mind off her, and giving her a chance to take a blow at Cobalt. Lightning isn't a weak mystic, she's strong, but she's like Cobalt. She's tries to do more than what she could handle."

"Alright, let's do this...," Lightning closed her eyes as she yelled, "Duplicate!" Three copies of Lightning appeared in front of Cobalt, throwing him slightly off-guard. All three charged towards with even more speed, and Cobalt braced for each hit. He set his sights on each copy one by one, attempting to predict each hit. He blocked the first two, but the last one hit him a total of 30 times.

Cobalt was knocked into the nearby wall. Cobalt's hit points decreased at an amazing speed. Cobalt went from 500 hit points, to 373 hit points. Even so, all Cobalt do was smirk.

"Why is he smirking?"

"He's about to activate another one of his abilities," Harmony grinned as she leaned back.

"That was a few good hits. They actually hurt a little. However, you'll have to try better than that. Copy: Duplicate!" Soon afterwards, nearly 10 copies of Cobalt appeared around him.

"What?!"

"Wait, what just happened?" Twilight looked on in amazement as Harmony explained.

"Copy, one of Cobalt's abilities. As the name explains, it allows him to copy any ability. However, this is an incomplete ability."

"Incomplete?"

"Yes, there are times where there is a problem with a mystic's ability. Sometimes, their ability won't be complete when they're born. Cobalt's copy ability only allows him to copy an ability if it's used directly at him, and it has to make contact with him. If it doesn't he can't use it."

"So, he has to take damage from said ability in order to use it?"

"Yes, that's why he was able to use Duplicate. It was one of Lightning's copies that hit Cobalt, not Lightning herself. Which means, the real Lightning, is the one that isn't fighting right now."

They all looked at the copies of Lightning fighting Cobalt's copies. One was missing, one of the copies, was off to the side, staring in amazement.

"Hey! Pay attention," Cobalt dashed forward as he slashed forward. He whipped his sword down as tons of late sword slashes hit Lightning. This caused her to kneel down from the damage. Her health points went from 500 to 322."

"Damn it, heal...," Lightning's hit points increased back to 422, "I need to get rid of those copies..."

"You want me to get rid of them? Just get rid of yours, and I'll get rid of mine," Lightning looked up at Cobalt as he inched closer to her, "This is a battle between us, not our copies," Lightning jumped back, and snapped her fingers, causing her duplicates to disappear, "That's better," Cobalt did the same as he waved his hand in front of his katana. It soon formed a red aura around it.

"Oh, doing that now are we Cobalt?"

"What is he doing?"

"Adding an element to his weapon. I taught him how to do that."

Cobalt waved his sword around before holding it like a kendo stick, "Let's get this started!" Both fighters dashed towards each other with such force, it caused a shockwave. Each hit caused a massive explosion causing everyone to look on in amazement.

Many students yelled from the stands, "Let's go Mr. Cobalt! You can do it!" Soon, cheers filled the arena as the two fighters dueled each other with the ferocity of tigers.

It was the last minute stretch, Cobalt still had less hit points than Lightning as he snickered. Soon, his whole body took the same aura of his sword, but it was darker.

"So he's going to give it his all in this last minute? Not smart Cobalt...," Harmony sighed in disappointment as she leaned in closer.

"What's he doing now?"

"It's one of Cobalt's abilities called: Last Stand. It causes him to push his body pass the limit of a mystic. It lasts for 1 minute, and it makes his body stronger, faster, and gives his body the endurance to endure any hit thrown at him, even fatal ones."

This shocked the girls knowing Cobalt could indeed take his body to the point of death with this ability.

"What is that? I see, Last Stand. Well, I guess I'll push myself too!" Lightning's eyes began to glow, and she developed a blue aura around her."

"So this is her special ability. Her's is Lightning's Speed. This increases her speed much faster than anything in the universe, even causing her to break space and time. Hm, raw power vs raw speed. Who will win?"

The duel dragged on for what seemed longer than a minute. Cobalt's eyes, nose and mouth began to extrude blood due to the pain his body was feelings. Even if he hadn't been hit yet, his body was being pushed passed its limit already. In the final seconds, both of them passed by each other, both panting heavily, and then... thud!

Both fighter fell on one knee, still panting heavily. Everyone looked on in angst as the air was silent. The silence was deafening as everyone waited for the result of this final push. Soon, Cobalt fell face first into the ground, passed out cold.

The scoreboard read as Cobalt: 23/500 and Lightning: 30/500. It was a close battle, but Cobalt's ability caused more damage to himself, then what Lightning inflicted onto him.

"Cobalt!" All of his friends ran to his side, leaving Harmony looking on in disappointment.

"You still have much to learn Cobalt... much more to learn..."

Rarity held Cobalt as his eyes fluttered open, "Cobalt...?"

"Did I... win?"

Rarity chuckled as she hugged him, "No... you lost..., but you still looked amazing..."

"That's good...," Cobalt closed his eyes again as he passed again.

"Just rest now Cobalt... just rest..."

"My beloved..."


	4. Chapter 4

That next day, Cobalt was seen slightly limping. As Cobalt was walking through the halls, he was getting multiple greetings from all of his former students.

"Good morning Mr. Cobalt."

"That was an awesome duel yesterday."

"You'll get it next time!"

"Thank you, I'm sorry I disappointed all of you."

"Nonsense, you gave it your all, and that's all that matters."

 _The truth is, I didn't give it my all. I went easy on Lightning, which is why I used Last Stand. I knew Last Stand would eat away at my body. I'm not an idiot..._

Cobalt looked on to see if he had spoken out loud. He didn't. He's done a good job not talking out loud, and he's been able to not look weird from time to time.

Soon afterwards, Harmony spoke through an intercom, "Mr. Cobalt, please head to my office immediately."

"What now?"

Cobalt walked off towards Harmony's office, and knocked on the door, "Come in!"

"Yes ma'am?"

"Take a seat...," Cobalt did so, and as he did take a seat, a large staff came flying to his head, and he grabbed it with one hand.

"And that was for?"

"Cobalt, I'm disappointed in you. This losing streak you have isn't good for Starlight."

"Come on Harmony, it's not that bad."

"A 254 losing streak isn't good!"

"And your point is?"

"I can't keep defending you Cobalt. The council ordered me to tell you that if you lose again, I'll be forced to cut you from Starlight's staff, and send you back to live in Canterlot."

"And my friends?"

"They'll be sent back with you."

"I see..."

"Think about this Cobalt, you need to live on your mother's name as a mystic."

"I know, but what's the point of being a teacher if you beat your students into submission. I'm a teacher, I'm here to teach them, not lower their morale."

"I understand, but you're not suppose to lose. You haven't been the same some you lost to my brother. What happened to you? You used to dominate every duel you accepted. Not only are you losing to students, but to mystics outside of school as well. Which is why I'm saying that you will need to improve you skills by Monday, and if you don't, I'll be forced to release you and your friends from Starlight."

"Questions?"

"Who will I he dueling to show my improvement?"

"The same student you lost to yesterday."

"Very well then, I'll start after school today."

"Nope, you'll start right now. I'll be your trainer. Just like before Cobalt."

"But Headmistress-."

"Before Cobalt could finish, Harmony placed a finger on his mouth, "It's Harmony when we're alone. Now let's go, Midnight will look after your class."

"Fine...," Harmony smiled as she snapped her fingers, sending the two somewhere unknown.

Meanwhile, the girls sat in silence as they waited for Cobalt's arrival.

"Where's Cobalt?" Sunset asked as she looked around.

"He was called to the Headmistress Office, but it's way past class time. I have no idea..."

Soon afterwards, Midnight walked through the room, much to the student's surprise, "Good day class, I am Midnight Gleam. Cobalt will be gone for the remainder of the week to do some special training with the Headmistress. In result, I'll be your substitute until he returns.".

"Ms. Gleam, could the reason of hid absence be die to my duel with him yesterday?"

"Partially, but the real reason is because of his losing streak. The duel from yesterday solidified this choice by the Headmistress."

"Losing streak?"

"You see, after his duel with the Commander of the Imperial Army, he went on a losing streak. A very long losing streak. He hasn't won since that duel, and now the Headmistress is planning to train him to have a rematch, with you Lightning."

"Me?"

"Yes, she wants him to have a rematch with you when he's fully trained back to his former self."

Lightning fidgeted in her seat half in fear, and half in remorse, "I never intended for this to happen. In reality, I used to love Cobalt, but after that duel, he just... lost all of his skills. After that, I just grew angry after every match I would bet on him on. Now that I met him in person, I was happy, but I was also... angry that he had changed after just one duel. I wanted to ignite the fire in him, but I guess I just made his situation worse. I didn't know he was on a losing streak though..."

"Prepare yourself for that duel. I have a feeling that the Headmistress will get through to Cobalt."

Cobalt awoke to something he hadn't seen for six years. A blank, dark abyss, "Harmony! Where did you bring me?!"

"To help you through this little simulation I created this special realm."

"Huh, I thought you would have me awake my dark power."

"Nonsense, that wouldn't be practical. I'm going to help you in certain situations that you can't think properly through, like the last push of a duel."

"What's wrong with that?"

"You use Last Stand as your last resort, yet you seem to forget that Last Stand eats away at your body, lowering your hit points quickly. What you need to do is use your other abilities that benefit you."

"But my Last Stand allows me to distribute so much power..."

"Yes, at the cost of nearly killing yourself. When someone tells you to kill yourself, you don't actually do it."

"No memes please..."

"Sorry, but you can't use Last Stand unless you really have to. What you need to do is to use your abilities at the right moments instead of using them so sparingly. You out of the top 5 were born with over 10 secret abilities. You've only used 2 of them during your time here in the mystic realm. You need to use them more, and at the right times."

"How? Most of them are incomplete."

"Which is why I'll be putting in different situations that pertain to that ability," Soon the abyss turned into a wide battle arena."

"We'll go over your most useful abilities only. Your others will be dealt with in due time."

"Alright, what's the first one?"

"The first one will be your ability: Hidden."

 _Hidden allows me to conceal myself from view. However, it's incomplete. I can only conceal myself from one individual. It's similar to my 6th sense, but in terms of concealing myself._

"I'll place three random bots in front of you. Try your best to use your Hidden ability in the right way."

Cobalt took a deep breath as the three bots dashed towards him.

 _So if I'm to use Hidden correctly. I can do it like this._

One of the bots stopped, and started to look around. It soon flinched, and was penetrated by the other two bots. Cobalt came from the side, and stabbed all three of them.

"Impressive, I never expected you to use the bots uncontrollable speed to your advantage. You prevented yourself from being seen by one of them, throwing them into a state of confusion. Then you jumped up to cause them to collide with each other."

"It was the only way. You have to think outside the box when you have an incomplete ability."

"I see, on to the next ability..."

-1 week later-

Everyone waited once again for the duel to begin. Lightning waited on the field, but saw no one. She waited eagerly for her opponent, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Cobalt, he should be here by now. Every time he comes home, he would head straight to bed. We haven't even been able to talk to him...," Rarity said with look of worry on her face.

"Don't worry," They turned towards the voice, surprised to see the Headmistress, Harmony, "He'll be here soon. He's just mentally preparing himself for the battle."

"Headmistress..."

"I look forward to seeing Cobalt's new fighting style..."

Soon after Harmony said this, Cobalt rose from the ground. His former face of a laid back fighter was now a look of a serious individual. Cobalt didn't speak a word either. He just spawned in his sword, and got ready. Lightning, surprised at this sudden change in behavior still got in a battle ready stance.

Midnight appeared again like before, and explained the rules, "The rules are the same as before. I won't bore anyone with the explanation. Fighters, are you ready?" Both nodded as Midnight smiled, "Let the battle, begin!"

In nearly a split second, Cobalt appeared behind Lightning as she stood stiff. She soon collapsed as her hit points depleted completely to zero. Cobalt sighed as he moved into the ground again. Leaving the entire student body stunned, and speechless.

"What just happened?" Sunset as she continued staring at Lightning as Midnight went to check on her body.

"That... is the real Cobalt," Harmony smiled as she stood up from her seat, "Everyone to class! Nothing to see here!"

Everyone except Cobalt's friends left. They still sat shocked at what they had just witnessed.

"Cobalt..."

"Just..."

"Destroyed her!" Rainbow finished as she smiled greatly, causing the others to look at her, "Sorry..."

"Cobalt darling..."

After the duel, Harmony stepped into her office to find Cobalt waiting for her. She smiled as she walked past him, "Is there anything I can help you with Cobalt?"

"Yes. Was that good enough to keep my friends and I here at Starlight?"

"Yes, very. The council were watching you during that duel, and were very impressed. They said they had not seen such a quick knockout in a long time."

"The last one time they saw that was against your brother..."

"About that, the real reason I told you to improve on your skills is because... my brother is coming to visit again..."

Cobalt stood silent, and asked, "So he needs another wife?"

"Yes..."

Cobalt turned around and started to head out the door. Before he left he said, "Keep him away from my friends...," He slammed the door, shaking her bookshelves fiercely.

She looked down with disdain and said, "I just... can't guarantee that..."

Cobalt arrived back to his classroom to see all of his students waiting patiently. He smiled and started teaching, "Good day class, today, we're going over the different ways you can use your powers."

One of his students raised their hands, "But Midnight already went over it."

"Yes, she did it with the advance powers because she teaches in the advance course. However, did you know you could change the way your powers act by changing your chant order."

"Nonsense, that's just not possible. A chant must be said in order, word by word."

"That's what those horrible text books tell you. You see, the point of being a mystic is clearing the mind of any other distraction. Trying to remember a whole chant is already daunting enough, but shorten it slightly, or even change it all together will change it drastically. Let me ask you on what would happen if I were to do that with Bolt?"

"If you shorten the chant, it would be rendered useless," Twilight answered.

"That would be incorrect Twilight."

"Huh? But the textboob-."

"I said the textbook didn't give good information on your powers. The full chant is: Bolt of lightning / Strike my enemy, but if I shorten it as so: Bolt of Lightning/ Strike!"

A gigantic bolt of released shot out of Cobalt's hand, creating a large hole in the side of the school.

"Impossible!"

Multiple students stood up in awe, "You say you mastered all of these basic powers, yet you didn't know they were capable of such power. If you take away a major word, the power plummets. However, you can shorten said power to one word."

"How?"

"Like this, Bolt!" Like before, a lightning bolt fired from Cobalt's hand, causing an explosion in the distance, "Oh, I'm gonna have to pay for that. Anyway, like I said, a mystic's real power comes from one's mind. If your mind is one with your body, then you'll be able to do anything with powers. That's what those textbooks don't tell you. Oh, for example."

Cobalt walked up to Rainbow Dash's desk, causing her fidget slightly, "Uh..."

"Rainbow, I'm in love with you," Rainbow stiffened up as her cheeks grew a light shade of pink, "I fell for you the moment I laid my eyes on you," Her cheeks grew darker, causing her to stutter beyond comprehension, "Look at her face, she's completely embarrassed after what I told her."

The students inched closer to view her face, and were intrigued, "Wow..."

"And with that, she'll throw something in 3-," Before Cobalt finished counting, a book was thrown at Cobalt, but it stopped in midair, "At least let me finish counting..."

"Shut it!"

"Anyway, look at how I stopped the book without saying anything? My mind knew it was being thrown, thus preparing itself for impact. Like I said, your mind and your body must be one in order to reach your true potential," The bell rung, signaling students to leave, "That's all for today! Tomorrow, we'll go over a mystic's main weaknesses!"

"That idiot... saying that to me...," Rainbow ran towards Cobalt, and attempted to grab his shirt collar, but she was stuck in the air, "Hey!"

"Remember the lesson from today? Anyway, you girls head on home. I have to prepare for my intermediate class."

"You know, it's still weird that we only have half a day of school here," Twilight stated.

"It helps teachers, like me, who have to teach more than one level. Here, I'll open a gate for you. Gate!" Like usual, a portal to their house opened, "I'll be home at the same time, so don't worry about me being late. And Rainbow, I'm going to have a word with you when I get home. In private," Cobalt's tone got serious as he said in private.

"Fine...," He put her down, and she walked through the portal, only to give him the middle finger when she did walk through.

"Hehe, so immature...," The bell rung to signal the beginning of classes again, and Cobalt sighed, "Maybe them being here won't be so bad. Hmph, only time will tell Cobalt... only time will tell..."


	5. Chapter 5

Cobalt arrived back home, and walked straight to Rainbow's room, but only to be stopped by Fluttershy, "Cobalt..."

"Yes Fluttershy?"

"I don't understand how this spell is suppose to work."

"Uh, I'm...," He looked at her room, and sighed, "What's the spell?"

Meanwhile, in Rainbow Dash's room, she was rolling around her bed quite angrily, "Who does Cobalt think he is? Telling a girl something like that. I mean, I know I confessed ready, but he didn't have to say that in front of the whole class," She glanced at her alarm clock, and sighed, "He'll be home soon, so I'll just listen to music until he gets home..."

And as Cobalt was helping Fluttershy with her spell, "Fluttershy! What did you do?!"

A large demonic bunny was seen hopping through the neighborhood, "I took your advice and shortened the chant, but this happened!"

"That spell is for turning innocent creatures into gigantic, destructive monsters!"

"I didn't know that!"

"Ugh! Girls, we have a monster attack! Come on, let's get going!"

Due to Rainbow Dash's music being too loud, she couldn't hear Cobalt yelling from outside, "Such an idiot... embarrassing me like that..."

"We'll save Angel for you Fluttershy, but we need to subdue him somehow. Hm, Fluttershy, find the reverse for this spell. As for the rest of you, I want all of you to help find a way to subjugate Angel without... uh... killing him. He'll be strong to take out, especially with his size. Here, let me do this," Cobalt started to say something in a weird language, "Wlc pc wkienxj."(Translation: Fly my friends.)

His friends started to float slowly within the air, "Cobalt, we can fly on our own."

"Yeah, I know, but I never get a chance to use this spell, so I wanted to try it once."

Meanwhile Rainbow was still inside listening to music, "Where is he? He said he would come talk to me..."

And outside, "Green acid!" Angel started spitting out massive sludge bombs towards them, each causing mass destruction, "Rarity, I wanna try something!"

"What!"

"Your shield, hit me with it!"

"What?"

"My copy ability! If it makes contact with me, I can use it! Just do it!"

"It doesn't have a name!"

"Don't worry, remember my lesson from today!"

"Alright," Rarity created her diamond-transparent shield, and moved it towards Cobalt. Once it came on contact with Cobalt, he took a deep breath and he soon created multiple shield barriers around him, "Wow..."

"Alright, I'm going to put a sleep spell on him! Fluttershy, you got that reverse spell!"

"Yeah!"

"Alright, here I go!"

And on the inside, Rainbow grew frustrated as she waited continuously for Cobalt to arrive, "Where is he!" She barged out of her room to see the house completely empty, "Huh?" Soon, she felt a large rumble and quickly ran outside.

"I can't believe that worked," Rarity said as she was huffing and puffing heavily.

"At least Angel is back his normal self...," Fluttershy proceeded to start coddling Angel, much to his dismay.

"Just remember not to use that spell again, okay Fluttershy?" She nodded at Cobalt's request.

"There ya are Rainbow!" Applejack yelled as she ran towards her, "Where were ya?"

"Uh..."

"Girls, head inside. Rainbow with me. Sunset, you and Twilight are in charge while I'm gone. I'll be back later in a bit."

"Where are you going?" Rarity asked, eager, and jealous at the same time.

"That's none of your concern Rarity."

"Of course it is! Are you taking Rainbow... on a date?!"

"Wel...," Cobalt stopped there, causing the girls to gasp. It even caused Rainbow to blush lightly, "Don't worry, I'm just going to talk to her about her behavior in school in a less... embarrassing environment. Midnight told me how you were during class last week. Girls, inside now."

"Yes sir...," One by one, they all walked back into the house, leaving the other two outside.

"Don't think I wouldn't find out. Rainbow, you've been neglecting your studies, sleeping in class, and not paying attention. You need to understand that your grades must be above a 95 to stay at Starswirl. If your average falls below that, then you're gone."

"I didn't..."

"I know, I forgot to talk about grades. That's my fault as a guardian. However, that doesn't negate the fact that you don't pay attention in class. Rainbow, as your guardian and teacher, I need to keep you on your studies."

"Cobalt, learning isn't my thing, you know that. I mean we haven't had any tests yet, so what's the big deal?"

"There's a test at the end of every month, and it's 250 questions long. Plus it has a writing portion, and an open demonstration."

"Why would they-?!"

"Because this is the top school for mystics. Rainbow, knowing you, you won't make it out of this school. Plus, they keep track of how many students drop out for each teacher. I have the highest rate at 70% of my students dropping out before the end of the trimester. Look, I want you to pass each test with ease. And I'm going to help you with extra tutoring."

"A tutor?! Now you're stretching it."

"Your tutor is me, and I'm tutoring you my way."

"I'm afraid to know what 'your way' is..."

"You'll see. We start now by learning the one power I taught today: Bolt."

"Okay...?"

"Alright, now first think about something... calming. Calm your mind first. Clear your mind of any type of distraction. To help you do that...," Cobalt went silent as he swept Rainbow off her feet.

"Gah!"

"Don't let this distract you. Clear your mind! Empty it, and remember the chant from earlier. Don't worry about shortening it! Calm yourself, and shoot me with Bolt!"

"I-I can't with you like this!"

"Yes you can. All mystics will have to go through something like this, so just do it! Don't let your dreams be dreams, so just... DO IT!"

"Bolt of lightning / Strike my enemy!" A bolt shot from Rainbow's hand, and hit Cobalt, shocking him fiercely.

Cobalt dropped Rainbow as she supported himself on one knee, "There you go... simple as that..."

"Wow, I never felt that type of power in my hand before..."

"And that's only the beginning. We'll continue tomorrow, meet me in the backyard once I return home, alright?"

"Yes sir!" Cobalt turned to walk off, but was stopped as Rainbow hugged him behind, "Thank you Cobalt. I'm sorry for flipping you off earlier."

"About that, you're grounded for the remainder of the week for doing that."

"What!"

"Kidding, but don't do that again, or I'll show the real power of Bolt," Cobalt held his hand up as it started to emanate a fierce electric field around it.

"Point taken..."

The two started laughing as they both walked back inside the house.


	6. Chapter 6

Now it was time for the first test of the year. A 250 question test mixed with multiple choice, short answers and fill in the blanks. A 5 page essay that's followed up by a live demonstration on a power you've improved on.

Rainbow Dash sat in her seat nervously. She tapped her foot, and moved her pencil around furiously. They had just finished up their writing portion, and Rainbow Dash was worried if she hadn't passed.

They won't hear there grade for the test until a week after. However, since Cobalt is there teacher/guardian, he'll tell them earlier than expected.

"Everyone, please head outside for the power demonstration portion of the test. After that, you are all free to go."

Rainbow took a deep breath, and stood up, "Mr. Cobalt..."

"Yes Rainbow?"

"I would like to demonstrate my improved power first."

"Oh, we have a volunteer? Well, would anyone else like to volunteer after Rainbow here?" Soon afterwards, everyone's hands flew up, "Alright then, let's head on out everyone."

Everyone is warming up to me faster than I thought. It's been a month, and they're already accepting me as a teacher. Is it because of my duel versus Lightning or...?

Once everyone was outside, Harmony decided to join in on the fun, and watch. The students grew even more nervous now that the Headmistress was watching them.

"Ma'am, are you sure you did this just to watch?"

"Maybe, maybe not..."

"Anyway, Rainbow, what are you going to use for your demonstration?"

"I will be using Bolt."

"Oh, seems expected, but let's see what you've done with it?"

"I wasn't finished. I'll do a combination of Bolt and my speed."

"Oh, I would like to see what would happen because of that."

Rainbow took a deep breath, and to everyone's surprise, she stated charging up her Bolt. Cobalt smirked as she did this, and then, she started running around in a circle at astonishing speed. Her bolt then started to follow in a stream, soon forming a large electric tornado.

"Wow!" Everyone was amazed at the sight that Rainbow created.

"Impressive Rainbow! Let me try this. Storm!" A large rain cloud formed above the tornado, and it soon doubled in size and power.

"Can I add to it too?" Harmony asked as her hand began to burn bright.

"Why not?"

Soon, everyone added to the large tornado. Cobalt placed placed a large barrier around the school grounds to prevent the tornado from leaving the area.

"Huh, I never wanted this, but guess what? This will be the real demonstration for everyone. Get rid of this tornado!" The tornado now reached far above the clouds, mixed with multiple elements from: Fire, Water, Lightning, Earth, and of course Air.

Everyone attempted to stop the tornado as both Cobalt and Harmony looked on from lawn chairs nearby. They continued watching them fail continuously, both were drinking margaritas, "Should we help them?" Harmony asked as she looked from her shades.

"Hm... nah, they can handle it. This isn't the first time this has happened," Cobalt started sipping on his margarita as he started to drift off to sleep.

"Cobalt, before you fall asleep, did you tell your friends about the one week break after each test?"

"Uh, no..."

"Well, after they're done with their little problem here, I have an idea that would... intrigue them."

"Oh, may I hear this idea?"

"Of course, you see, I was able to score an all expense paid trip to The Pleasant Shores of Ravenhand."

"Really? Doesn't it cost a fortune to spend only one day there?"

"Yes, but when your parents are former generals for the Imperial Army, getting things like this is easy."

"Oh, how long?"

"5 days."

"Wait, how does this concern me and my friends?"

"Aren't you suppose to be a genius?"

"Yeah, I know why, but... are you sure?"

"Of course, I mean, I'll be there to ensure that there's no funny business between everyone."

"Everyone?"

"Well, Midnight and Silver will be coming as well."

"Great, you're just planning to bring my whole harem on this trip, huh?"

"Am I part of that harem?"

Cobalt shrugged his shoulders, "I guess, but right now, let's just watch this go down...," Cobalt leaned back as he soon drifted off to sleep.

"How can you watch it when you're asleep. Hehe...," Harmony watched on as Cobalt's students tried their best to subdue the tornado, _"This beach trip will take your mind off my brother for now. However, I don't know what'll happen when he arrives. He may attempt to take your friends... simply because they're yourfriends. I'll do everything in my power to prevent him from doing so..."_

Once the tests for the week were completed, Cobalt informed the girls on the trip to the beach.

"No way!" They all responded, obviously excited to go to the beach after an excruciating test.

"Now hold on a second girls, this is only for us to have fun, not for any funny business."

Rarity then inched closer to Cobalt and said, "Oh, wouldn't some funny business be... fun?" Rarity added a wink to her seductive undertone.

"Rarity!" The girls yelled.

"What?!" Rarity stared at them for a second, but then back to her attempts at seducing Cobalt.

"Uh, yeah, some funny business would be fun, but the thing is... the Headmistress, Midnight and Silver are all coming as well, so you may not even have a chance to do so."

"Why are they coming?"

"Well, the Headmistress is the reason we're going to the beach. She's just going specifically to prevent any funny business."

Rarity, somewhat defeated, nodded, "That won't stop me. I'll just have to find some way to get some alone time with my darling Cobalt."

"We'll leave tomorrow morning, so go ahead and pack up your stuff ahead of time, and remember to triple check everything. I don't want any of you saying you left something."

"Wait, won't we just use Gate to head off the beach."

"I've never been to this beach before, so I can't teleport there. The Headmistress and the twins will meet us there tomorrow morning. In the mean time, I'm heading out to buy some new swimming trunks. I grew out of my old ones."

At the mention of this, the Rarity stopped Cobalt, "Wait, I don't have a bikini, so do you mine if I go with you?"

"Uh, okay?" Rarity smiled, but Cobalt spoke again, "What about the rest of you?"

Everyone except Twilight nodded, "I don't plan on swimming thank you."

"Come on Twilight, at least get something comfortable to wear," Cobalt said in an attempt to sway her to coming with them to the store.

"Oh fine, I'll go...," Twilight followed them as Cobalt opened a portal to the local strip mall.

"Alright, let's get shopping, but not for too much stuff. We still have to Dave money for the beach."

"Right!"

Once everyone split up for shopping, Twilight and Cobalt stayed put. Cobalt then turned away from Twilight, and asked, "Do you trust me, Twilight?"

"Huh? Why is that brought up?"

"Well, I've met Princess Twilight before you, and she seemed to deem me a friend the instant she met me. Now, with you, I can see that you're kind of... suspicious of me. Yes, you are very inconspicuous with your actions of not trusting me, but at times, I can read your body language like a book. My real question to you Twilight, is if you trust me or not?"

Twilight stood silent as Cobalt didn't face her. She then answered, "I just find it weird that you decided to randomly appear after 6 years of zero communication with our friends. I mean, I could understand why, but not even a visit to them, or even an attempt to do so. That's why I'm sort of... suspicious of your actions."

Cobalt chuckled as he turned to her, "I couldn't visit because... of something that happened between the Headmistress's brother, and myself. I guess for so long, I was... a different person because of it. I didn't really talk to anyone, and that included my friends. However...," Cobalt paused and sighed, "I felt the guilt of not contacting our friends, and... that's when I spent 2 years attempting to get you girls into Starlight. I had to jump many hurdles, but I managed to get you girls here."

Twilight continued to listen as Cobalt spoke, "I never intended to lose contact with the girls, but as a teacher of Starlight, my schedule is always filled with either with schooling, or being a member of the Imperial Army. I'm sorry for giving you some type of weird suspicious vibe. I never intended to do so."

Twilight shook her head and smiled, "No, I'm sorry for feeling that way. I should of known how close you were to them, and now seeing what you have to go through here in the mystic realm, I can understand."

"Thank you Twilight. I'm glad you understand."

"I mean, it's not that bad. I've learned about so much about being a mystic, and I've learned so many useful powers to go with mine."

"Yeah, you're welcome for that. I'm not trying to spoil you girls, but you do live under my house," Both Cobalt and Twilight laughed as they heard the girls cough from behind them, "Huh?"

"Getting a little chummy all alone huh?" Rarity said as she stepped closer to the too.

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked nervously.

"You're so close to him right now," Twilight looked down to see that they were inches apart.

"Uh..."

"Hmph, just know that nothing will stand in my way on this beach trip. Especially with my gorgeous, new swimsuit."

"Rarity!"

 _Is that the new running gag now? It used to be me talking out loud, but is it going to be Rarity attempting to seduce me, only to get yelled at by the others._

"No, you still talk out loud darling."

"Damn it..."

As they finished up shopping for new clothes, they arrived back home to sleep, but as Cobalt was finishing up grading the tests, Rarity knocked on his office door, "Yes Rarity?"

"I'm came in here to ask you something..."

"And that is?"

"I want to know how you feel about us again. I don't know if they've changed, or if they're still the same."

"Rarity," Cobalt put his pen down, and stood up, "the answer to your question was proven with my arrival. Look, none of you would be here if I still didn't have those feelings," Rarity's heart filled with joyed, but Cobalt spoke again, "However, as your teacher and guardian, I must wait on a relationship like that."

"Oh..."

"That doesn't mean we can't do anything... sweet."

"Oh... Cobalt...," Rarity attempted to inch closer to Cobalt, but he stopped her."

"No, not now. I'm working. Perhaps on the trip," Cobalt winked, causing Rarity's heart to flutter rapidly.

"Is he really doing do what I think he's going to do?! Ohmygoshohmygosh!"

"Stop thinking out loud Rarity."

"Sorry..."

"Alright, head off to bed. Gotta get your beauty sleep, right?"

"Yeah, good night Cobalt."

"Good night Rarity. Oh, and before you go to bed," Cobalt walked over to Rarity, and kissed her cheek, "Goodnight kiss. Now off to bed with you," Cobalt pushed Rarity out of his room, her cheeks as red as an apple.

 _"He... kissed me!"_


	7. Chapter 7

That next morning was nearly a disaster. Everyone woke up late, including Cobalt, and were late for their taxi.

"Girls, we gotta pick up the pace! Let's go, let's go! Place your bags in front of the door, I'll put them inside the taxi," The girls tossed multiple bags to Cobalt, and he tossed them inside the taxi.

Once all their bags were in the taxi, they packed inside, and were off.

"And cue intro music. Wait, this is a story... there is no intro music..."

They soon took a long, long drive to the Pleasant Shores of Ravenhand. Once they had arrived into the town of Ravenhand, the girls were marveled at the beauty of the city. A very vivid city with many colorful plants, and gorgeous buildings to compliment them.

"I never knew this place was so amazing...," Twilight stated.

"Yes, this city took years upon years to look like this. The beach is on the outside of the city, so we'll be staying at the beach houses in that area. We're very lucky to be here. It's expensive to be in this city..."

"Wow..."

They soon arrived to their beach house to see Harmony, Midnight, and Silver waiting for them, "It's about time you all arrived!"

"Sorry, we woke up late!"

Harmony walked up and punched Cobalt lightly in the shoulder, "Didn't I tell you not to grade papers until you got back?"

"Sorry, I just wanted to get it out the way."

"Ugh, you're such a workaholic..."

"Guilty as charged," The two laughed lightly at each other's random antics. The girls soon got jealous at how cost the two were getting.

"Ahem!" Rarity coughed out loud to gain the attention of them, "Shouldn't we had on inside?"

"Jealous much?" Cobalt asked.

"Why would I be jealous? I'm perfectly fine," Rarity gripped her skirt before walking off hastily towards the beach house.

"I guess we should go inside. It is hot out here," Everyone agreed as they followed Rarity inside.

Once they stepped inside, the beach looked like any other beach house. 2 floors, and a deck in the back with a large backyard. The deck and their backyard had an amazing view of the beach which was marvelous to gaze at.

"So, the teachers will be downstairs, and the rest of you will be upstairs. Pick your rooms, the rest of us will head into town after we rest up."

"Oh, can we go?"

The teachers all stared at each other, and each of them chuckled nervously, "Uh, about that, we're actually heading off to the beach to fill some stuff out."

"Fill stuff out for what?"

"Well, Jet skis, volley ball, parasailing, a bonfire, and a little secret we planned."

"Wow!"

"Same!"

"I know right!"

As everyone started to rest up a bit, Cobalt knocked on Harmony's door, "Yo, Harmony, can I talk to you for a second."

"That's a pretty long talk."

"Shut it, but I wanna ask you if at the end of this week, if you wanted to take a little date on the boardwalk."

"Oh, so bold as to call it a date? What about your friends?"

"They'll get over it. Besides, we haven't hung out since the girls arrived. How about instead we head off to the downtown part of Ravenhand?"

"Planning on getting wasted huh?"

"I haven't gotten wasted in a long time. I wanna live life every now then. Sometimes, I wanna get completely wasted and wake up in an alley."

"You're crazy, but I can relate. However, I'd want to get drunk and get roughed up by someone else that's drunk."

"And that other person is me?"

"Oh you wouldn't believe it. At least I can down a few more shots than you Cobalt. You're such a lightweight."

"I don't have as much experience as you do party girl."

"Oh be quiet, I already agreed to go didn't I?"

"Yeah, I guess," Cobalt looked at his watch and nodded, "Wanna go get the twins and rent the stuff?"

"Sure thing. Let's get going."

"Midnight, Silver, let's go rent the stuff!"

"Be down in a minute!"

"Let's go ahead and go without them."

"Good idea..."

The two arrived at the beach to see it empty, "Let's hope it stays like this when we come back later. Anyway, how long are we doing for each?" Harmony asked as he continued gazing at the beach.

"Well, today, we're doing volley ball and jet skis. Which one should we do first?" Cobalt responded.

"Well, I think we should do some volleyball first. I have an idea."

"May I hear it?"

"No, you'll see when the time comes."

"Fine, let's go ahead and schedule our time. How long do you want?"

"Hm, depends on how long the games take."

"Maybe you should go order it. I'll head off to the jet skis. I'll rent them for a bit."

"Alright, hurry back though, we need to get ready."

"Gotcha!" Cobalt ran towards the jet skis until he saw a crab upside down on shore, "Oh, uh, let me help little guy...," Cobalt flipped the crab over before it pinched him, "Whoa, that hurt...," Soon Cobalt started to hallucinate slightly, "Aw crap..."

"Cobalt?" He turned to see a distorted Harmony. She looked down to see the crab moving away, "Are you serious? You say you're a genius, but you didn't even relive that was an oryx-crab. You should know it'll make you hallucinate. Come on, let's get you back to normal before you do something dumber than this," She grabbed Cobalt's hand, and led him away.

Once Cobalt was back to normal, everyone went ahead and got ready for the beach, "I'm heading off to the beach now. I'll see all of you there!"

"Oh wait, I'm ready Cobalt darling," Rarity ran downstairs to show her amazing bikini that even Cobalt was entranced by, "You like what you see Cobalt?" Rarity sported a light blue two-piece bikini that somewhat covered her breasts, and three diamonds on her pelvis region.

"Uh...," Cobalt continued staring, causing Rarity to blush madly.

"Ah'm ready too," Then Applejack walked downstairs in her bikini. She had a bikini similar to Rarity, except it was red, "Ah think Cobalt loves my look more."

"Nonsense, I look great!"

"I think I look better than both of you," Rainbow Dash came down with a two-piece bikini that had bolts of lightning across the breasts and pelvis.

"Whoa..."

"I'm next!" Pinkie appeared behind Cobalt and showed off her bikini. Another two-piece bikini, but it was just plain blue. Nothing special on it.

"Here I come!" Sunset came downstairs with a burgundy bikini with flames on them, "Do you like it Cobalt?"

"Uh..."

Last was Twilight, "Uh, I'm not really showing off a bikini. Just going to relax for the time being."

Cobalt nodded, but he still gawked at Twilight. She had a nice purple tank top with a pair of black short shorts. It really showed off her legs well. Cobalt shook his head as he waited for the other three.

"Where are the rest of you?!"

Soon the twins teleported behind Cobalt, and grabbed his arms, "We're here!" Both sported one-piece bikinis that were black and white.

"Hey!"

Harmony appeared behind the girls and chuckled. Harmony had a two-piece bikini that was multi-colored. It really brought out her... assets, "This is your harem Cobalt, so you're stuck with this."

"I get it, but we've wasted too much time. Let's get to the beach!"

After arriving at the beach, it was now somewhat filled with other people. Cobalt looked over to the volleyball courts and smiled, "Now would be a good time to hear that idea you had for volleyball."

"Very well then," Harmony glanced at all the girls, and then at Cobalt, "I'm going to make this challenging for you Cobalt."

"How so?"

"You see, I booked us for 9 games."

"9?"

"Aha, alas, each game, it will be you versus us in a one vs one volleyball game. Whoever beats you will be able to do whatever they want with you for the remainder of the week. That is, until our special day this weekend."

"Wait, am I going to get a break between each game?"

"Nope, each game will be played in succession, and I'll be first to play you. Twilight, you're keeping score," Harmony tossed Twilight a scoreboard as she took her place on a nearby beach chair.

"Alright, no rules, and it's sudden death. 1 point to win. I'll serve first."

"Fine..., let's do this you she-devil..."

Harmony tossed the volleyball up and jumped up high. When she hit the ball, the ball traveled down to Cobalt at lightning speed. The ball caught on fire as it picked up speed. The ball zoomed past Cobalt as it exploded behind him. Cobalt turned slowly as he stared at the sand flying in the air from the explosion. He turned back around with a confused, yet angry expression, "What the hell Harmony?!"

"What? No rules, but I'll give you another chance! Your serve!"

"You didn't even say serves up...," Cobalt said under his breath. He went to retrieve the ball to see it charred from the heat, "The ball is all charred up! We need a new one!"

"Just manifest one you idiot!"

"Fine. Manifest: Volleyball!" A volleyball appeared in Cobalt's hand as he sighed in frustration.

 _So if she's going to play like dirty like that, I need to play dirty right back._

Cobalt waved his hand over his ball as the ball had a dark aura around it for a second. Cobalt smirked as he tossed the ball up, "Serves up!" Cobalt jumped up and smacked the ball down straight towards Harmony with astounding speed. She was ready to block it, but it went through her body, sending a chill down her spine. The ball then collided with the ground with a loud thud.

"Uh, point for Cobalt! Cobalt wins!"

"Huh, so you use your little teleport ability huh?"

"Hey, you tried to play dirty, so I thought why not play dirty back. Wanna go again?"

"Nah, you can go on ahead. I have my day this weekend anyway."

Cobalt went to pick up the ball and asked, "So who's next?"

 _One by one, I defeated them. Rainbow attempted to use her speed against me, but she forgot that I could outclass her speed just slightly. Applejack used her brute strength to get me off balance. Her serves were strong, and I thought I was going to break my hands trying to serve them back. Soon, I was able to throw her off with a curve ball. I swear, she was tough to beat. Fluttershy, well, she kind of moved out the way when I served it to her. So she was an easy win. Pinkie used her cannon, but she didn't arc it enough over the net, and it collided with it, sending the ball back in her direction. The ball ended up destroying a nearby lifeguard tower. I couldn't help but laugh at that. Since Twilight was the score keeper, she didn't play, so I won by default. The twins passed as they were about to hop on the jet skis. That mean the last one was Rarity._

Rarity stepped up with a smirk on her face.

 _Huh, does she really think she can win? I respect her bravery, but she won't win against me. After what I've done, there's no way she could have a chance at-._

"Serves up!" Cobalt jumped in shock as the ball landed beside him lightly. Cobalt stared down at the ball, eyes wide as he fell to his knees, "Don't waste your time speaking out loud Cobalt darling."

"My own talking out loud problem cost me the win. How could I be so foolish...," Cobalt was now on all fours as Rarity grabbed his ankle.

"Come on Cobalt darling, we have a whole day planned ahead of us!" The other girls looked on in dismay as Cobalt was still willowing in despair at his sudden loss, _"Woo-hoo! Now's my chance, with nothing in my way, this is my chance to give myself to Cobalt!"_

* * *

Rarity was now holding Cobalt's arm as if she was clinging to it for dear life. Rarity had a large smile on her face as she held Cobalt's arm, "Uh, Rarity, we still have to go back to the group."

"Nope, this will be my time with you without any interruptions. Now Cobalt darling, I want you to follow me back to the home," Rarity started to drag Cobalt away towards the house. The girls saw this from a distance, and started to tail them back, but Harmony stopped them.

"Now, now, don't ruin their fun. You'll all get your chance eventually."

The girls stopped as they stared at Rarity dragging Cobalt towards the beach house. Meanwhile, Rarity pushed Cobalt onto the couch and took a seat on his lap. She the proceeded to cuddle him. Cobalt sat in confusion as to what she was doing, "Is... this all you're going to do?"

"For now, I just... want to stay like this," Rarity snuggled tighter on Cobalt's lap, causing him to squirm a little.

"So, you're just going to stay in your bikini?"

"What? Is it turning you on?"

Cobalt chuckled nervously as he answered, "I would be lying if I said no..."

"Oh, so that's what's been poking me," Rarity gave a sly wink as she moved just slightly, causing Cobalt to lightly shudder in sexual ecstacy.

"Stop, not while we're in the living room. What if the girls walk in to see this...," Cobalt didn't want to admit it, but ever since he had seen how much Rarity had changed both emotionally and physically, he has been wanting to do something... nasty things to her.

She's not the only one either. After seeing how much the girls had matured both on the inside and the outside, he couldn't resist himself. However, as their guardian and teacher, he's been forced to restrain himself from performing any indecent acts to them. So he's been forced to relieve his sexual desires by masturbating nearly on a daily basis.

"Come on Cobalt, I won't tell, nor do I bite," Rarity leaned in closer, attempting to steal a kiss from him.

"Those two words shouldn't even be used in the same sentence like that..."

"Oh come on, don't be shy. We have Fluttershy for that..."

 _Oh man, I want to so bad, but I just can't! That would be dishonorable of me as a teacher and their guardian._

"Don't worry about that. Just do what you favor to do...," Rarity said flirtatiously as she leaned closer.

"Damn my open-minded monologues...," Rarity puckered her lips, and Cobalt soon felt himself pucker too. Just as they were centimeters apart.

"Stop right there Rarity!" They both stopped, just moments away from frenching, Rainbow burst straight through the door, "What do you think you're doing?!"

"I'm going to show my darling Cobalt a wonderful time until you rudely interrupted us!"

"Oh, so you were going to steal his virginity away? Not on my watch!" Rainbow stepped back, and charged forward with the same astonishing speed from the volleyball match. She grabbed Cobalt, and ran up to her room. She closed and locked her bedroom door, chuckling as she turned around slowly, "Now you're mine Cobalt," She turned to see Cobalt gone from her room, "How did...?" She soon saw a weird rip in her room, "Pinkie!"

"Hehehe!" Pinkie was seen running with Cobalt outside, only for her to be shoulder blocked by Applejack.

"Now yer mine!" Applejack lifted Cobalt with ease, and ran off back inside. She was then tripped by a random foot as she ran back in.

Both Applejack and Cobalt landed with a loud thud as she winced in pain. Cobalt shook his head as he was then dragged off again, only this time, it was Sunset, "You're coming with me Cobalt!" It was then Sunset was then frozen in place. Cobalt then fell back down as Sunset was moved from him. The perpetrator was Twilight.

Before she could grab Cobalt, he was grabbed by Rainbow again. She ran back upstairs snickering before running face first into Rarity's transparent-diamond shield, and she lost her grip on Cobalt causing him to fly over Rarity, and towards Fluttershy.

"Fluttershy!" Everyone yelled as Cobalt straight towards her.

"Eep!" Fluttershy ducked down as Cobalt crashed through the wall behind her, leaving a large hole through it.

Meanwhile, Harmony and the twins were seen walking up to see Cobalt underneath the rubble, "Cobalt is going to be mad. I think we should go somewhere else you two," They both nodded as they shuffled away from the house quickly. Neither of them enjoyed seeing Cobalt angry.

A bright, powerful blue aura emanated from the rubble as a huge lighting shockwave shot out of it. Cobalt rose from the rubble, his eyes all blue, and a lightning aura surrounding his body as he huffed broadly, and, "Enough!" Cobalt yelled at the top of his lungs. The power from his voice sent the girls tumbling downstairs, causing them to crash into a large pile into one another, "Everyone in your rooms now, and no one will get hurt!" Cobalt floated above them, frightening all of them to run into Sunset's room, "Gah, stupid kids..."

The girls huffed and puffed as they locked the door behind them before sliding onto the floor. Rainbow punched the ground, startling everyone, "This is all your fault Rarity!"

"My fault! I do believe you started all of this by grabbing Cobalt from me!"

"Well, he wouldn't have been tossed around if it weren't for Pinkie breaking into my room!"

"Hey! I was trying to get Cobalt from you! I wasn't going to allow you to have him all for yourself! Besides, Applejack continued it by shoulder blocking me!"

"Well, ah' can't deny that. But Sunset is the one that tripped me!"

"Twilight froze me in the air so that I couldn't even move!"

"Then Rainbow grabbed Cobalt again!"

"Then Rarity made me run into her retarded shield!"

"Retarded?! Well I never!"

"Yeah, you never gave us a chance with Cobalt! You always try to seduce him!"

"Yeah, well, he would've gotten that angry if Fluttershy hadn't ducked down!" They all stared at Fluttershy who was hugging her knees, her hair covering one side of her face.

"Uh..."

"Quiet up there! I don't want to here another peep out all of you!" Cobalt yelled, causing all of them to jump in fear.

They all sighed as Rainbow snapped her fingers, "I have an idea."

"Oh this should be great...," Rarity said scornfully.

"Hear me out. If we all want Cobalt's virginity, why don't we do just that?"

"How do you suppose we do that? You can only take someones virginity once..."

"Remember that time lapse spell we learned? If we are able to successfully use that spell we can all reverse time, and make seem as if Cobalt hadn't lost his virginity in the first place."

"Wait, does it work like that?"

"Well, yeah. Cobalt's memory of having sex with us will be eluded due to the fact of it not happening!"

"Huh, that's actually a good idea," Everyone except Twilight agreed, causing the others to look at her, "What is it Twilight?"

"Well, the spell reverses time for everything in the area. So if you reverse time when you're in the vicinity, you won't have lost your virginity either. Making it so that when you do lose your virginity, you'll only have your virginity again after you activate the spell."

"She's right. How can we work around that?"

They all tried their best to think back to the lesson Cobalt had on that spell...

 _If you are to use the time lapse spell, and you don't wish to be caught in said spell, just target the area that you do wish to cause a time lapse in. It takes practice however, with this, you can be able to reverse time only to the area that you choose. Take note though that the area of effect must be blocked off by some sort of solid surface. Perhaps a wall, door, shield, or forcefield._

"That's it!" They all yelled causing Cobalt to yell back up.

"What did I say!"

They all covered their mouths as they all nodded at each other.

 _"This..."_

 _"Is our chance..."_

 _"To..._

 _"Take..._

 _"What's..."_

 _"Rightfully..."_

 _"Ours!"_

Will this plan of theirs work? We'll let fate decide...


	8. Chapter 8

Later that night, the girls planned out their plan to take Cobalt's virginity, "So how are we going to determine who goes first?" Rainbow asked as she looked at her friends waiting for an answer.

They couldn't choose, and they couldn't argue about it or their plan will be heard by Cobalt. They then decided to do a classic. Pull the name out of the hat!

"Alright, all of our names will be put in this hat. We'll draw one tonight, and tomorrow night, we'll do the next one, and so on and so forth," They all nodded as Rainbow shook the hat up. She pulled the first slip of paper for it to reveal something she added in for something fun, "Oh, I'm glad this was the one that was chosen. Fluttershy," Fluttershy smiled, but Rainbow then said, "And myself!"

"Huh?!"

"I forgot I added that in. Fluttershy, we're gonna have a threesome with Cobalt!" Usually, Fluttershy would be embarrassed and mad beyond belief, but instead, she smirked and nodded.

"Very well then, I will enjoy it," This threw Rainbow off guard, but she didn't relent as she agreed.

"Likewise Fluttershy," They shook hands as they went on with the plan.

Later that night, they went over the plan one more time, "Remember, Twilight, you'll use the time lapse spell once we leave the room the next morning."

"Next morning? I don't remember that being part of the plan."

"Do you really think I'd pass up on sleeping with Cobalt? Ha, not a chance," Rainbow smirked as she saw how jealous the others got.

"Need I remind you that Fluttershy will be there as well?"

"Don't worry, she'll sleep on the floor," Fluttershy puffed her cheeks out as Rainbow said this, "Alright, let's get the plan underway!"

Both Fluttershy and Rainbow both waited outside Cobalt's door, both eager to knock, but too nervous to do so, "Well, knock on it Rainbow."

"Me? Why don't you do it?"

"Really? You're going to ask the shy one in the group to do it?"

"Point taken, but I'm too nervous to knock."

"So am I. I mean, I'm nervous around Cobalt all the time, but this is beyond my mental capacity!" The two whispered loudly back and forth, and they hadn't even noticed Cobalt watching them from his bedroom doorway.

"Can I help you two?"

They both stiffened up as they saw Cobalt who was shirtless in front of them, "Uh, we want to... uh..."

"Well?"

"We wanna sleep with you!" Fluttershy yelled at the top of her lungs. Much to the surprise of Cobalt and Rainbow, "I mean... please..."

"Is there a reason for this?"

"Well, we just wanted to apologize by making you feel comfortable while you sleep."

"Well, I did get a little too angry at you girls earlier today. Although, I would've expected something like this from Rarity, and you Rainbow. But you Fluttershy? Are you sure you don't drink?"

"Yes I'm sure, but it's my fault that you crashed through the wall..."

"It's fine. I got too angry. I'll let you girls sleep with me," Cobalt then winked as he walked back inside.

"Fluttershy, did you see that?"

"Yes, and did you see his body? It looks better than it did before!"

"But we saw it at the beach earlier."

"But I never noticed it until now. I thought it still looked the same, but he's more toned."

Rainbow glanced at Cobalt's body, and her eyes widened. He did have better body. His muscles were more defined, and it matched his perfect face. In Rainbow's mind that is. Rainbow couldn't take her eyes of Cobalt's body.

"Rainbow? Aren't you getting in the bed?"

"Oh, sorry..."

"It's a tight squeeze, but we can manage," Fluttershy was in front of Cobalt, and Rainbow was behind him. Fluttershy smirked as she turned around, and scooted back.

 _No, Fluttershy! Don't scoot back. That nice... ass... is going to... shut up Cobalt! Don't think like that. I know how much you want it, but you can't..._

Cobalt soon felt his penis grow larger as Fluttershy started grinding on it. Cobalt shook, trying to hold in his pleasure, but enough was enough.

 _That's it! I don't care anymore!_

Cobalt grabbed Fluttershy fiercely, turned her around, and passionately kissed her. Rainbow looked on in surprise at Cobalt's sudden action.

"Mhmm!" Fluttershy needed to breathe, but she didn't want to break apart.

"Hey! I wanna a turn," Rainbow ripped them apart, and planted her own lips on Cobalt's. Both of their tongues fought for dominance between each other.

Soon afterwards, Fluttershy did what Rainbow did, and ripped them apart, placing her lips on Cobalt's. This continued for at least 5 minutes before Cobalt pushed them away from him, "How about we get to the main event?" Cobalt slowly stuck his hands down the pajamas of both Fluttershy and Rainbow.

"Cobalt?"

"Uh..."

They both knew what was about to happen, and mentally prepared themselves. They soon felt Cobalt's fingers trace across their vaginae, sending them into a state of euphoria.

"Cobalt!"

"Oh man...!"

"Feels good huh? This is only the beginning," Cobalt slowly inserted his fingers as he slided them inside and out, sending them into a higher state of bliss.

With each moment Cobalt fingers them, they moan in complete ecstacy.

 _"I never knew could feel this great!"_

 _"This is what I've been missing?!"_

However, Cobalt soon stopped, confusing the girls. They hadn't even cum yet, and he stopped.

"I need some pleasuring too," Cobalt pulled down his shorty's to reveal his long, erected member. It looked to be at least 9.5 inches long.

 _"Can that_ _even_ _fit?"_ Both girls feared as they inched closer to it. They both stared at it intently before looking at each other. They both nodded before going to town on Cobalt's penis.

"Whoa, starting strong I see. Just how I like it...," Cobalt bit his lip as he watched the girls go to town on his erected cock, "Are you girls virgins?" They both nodded, but Cobalt chuckled, "Huh, it's hard to believe with how well you're giving this blowjob you two. Trying to impress me?"

"Oh be quiet, you're lucky we're doing this anyway...," Rainbow retorted, but she went back to doing what she's been enjoying.

 _Wow,_ _they're_ _really good. I never expected_ _this amount of technique with their fellatio._ _I'm_ _trying to hold back, but_ _it's_ _just..._

"It's pulsating!"

"Come on Fluttershy, he's almost cumming. Do it harder," Rainbow yelled as she sucked with more tenacity.

Fluttershy took a deep breath, and took in Cobalt's entire cock.

 _She can deep throat too?! Holy shit!_

Cobalt held Fluttershy's face down as he shot his warm, thick cum down her throat. Fluttershy eye twitched at the massive amount of cum she was taking in.

"Swallow it all Flutters..."

Rainbow watched on in awe as she saw Fluttershy gulp continuously, "No way..."

"That's it...," Cobalt slowly pulled his cock out as a small trace of saliva followed it, "Open...," Cobalt ordered. She opened her mouth too reveal nothing to be there, "Good girl. Now, on to the dinner," Cobalt pushed both girls on their backs, forcing them down. Cobalt's personality had made a 360 degree turn. Both of them were both scared, yet enticed, "So," Cobalt started, "who wants it first?"

Both of them wanted it, but Cobalt glanced at Rainbow, "You were left out Rainbow for that little bit. How about I start with you," Positioned himself in front of Rainbow. She could feel herself get hornier from this.

"Wait, Cobalt I'm not... Ah!" Before she could finish, Cobalt penetrated her vagina. The amount of pain and pleasure she was feeling was astronomical, "This feels awesome!"

Fluttershy looked on at the amount pleasure Rainbow was in. The pleasure was written as over get face and body. The more Rainbow moaned, the more intense Cobalt got.

"Oh yes... fuck me more Cobalt...," At this point, Rainbow had her tongue sticking out as Consult picked up speed.

"Hehe, I know you like this. Beg for more...," Cobalt demanded. Cobalt was a whole completely different person.

"Please... give me more... give me that succulent cum..."

"Ask, and you shall receive!" Cobalt gave one last fierce thrust. With this thrust, an electric aura surrounded both Cobalt and Rainbow as both of them climaxes at the same time.

Rainbow was now out of it. Her tongue was hanging outside her mouth after cumming. Cobalt then glanced at Fluttershy, "Uh..."

"You ready?" Fluttershy nodded as she seductively sat up to kiss Cobalt. They passionately kissed for another minute, gasping for air afterwards.

"I've been... waiting... for this Cobalt..."

"I know, so let's get on with it. I won't be so rough with you. I was just rough with Rainbow because you know... I knew she would like it."

"Alright..., but you can be rough with me," Fluttershy wrapped her arms around Cobalt's neck, and proceeded to kiss him again.

Once they broke apart, Cobalt chuckled, "It's hard to be rough when you kiss and act like a sweetie. But if you want it rough...," Cobalt paused, and smirked devilishly, "then you'll get what you want," Cobalt lifted her up, and penetrated her fiercely, breaking her hymen, "These aren't suppose to be broken, but you wanted it rough!"

"Cobalt!" Cobalt thrusted up as Fluttershy jumped up from the pain of having her hymen break. She was in pain at first, but she soon started to look more like Rainbow Dash, "Oh... Cobalt... you're big!"

"Don't have to tell me that... guh... I know...," Cobalt then dropped her down on the bed, and continued thrusting, "Beg, just like Rainbow!"

"Oh yes! Please cum in me Cobalt! Fuck me hard!"

"Oh, didn't expect you say that!" Even so, Cobalt did as she please, "And...!" Cobalt gave last good thrust, releasing his semen inside of her causing her to take the same ahegao face as Rainbow, "Whew, I needed that from you girls. I've been wanting to do that for a while...," Cobalt took a look at their bodies just laying there, "It wasn't that good... I think? Oh well, good night you two."

Cobalt cleaned them up, and around them, before setting neatly on the bed. He set down a sleeping bag on the floor, and hopped in it himself.

 _Now, to play along with the rest of their little plan..._

* * *

That next morning, both Fluttershy and Rainbow woke up to find Cobalt sleeping on the floor. They had just remembered their whole threesome from the night before.

"Rainbow, did we really just...?"

"Yeah... we did," They sat up from his bed, and tip-toed away from his room to find the rest of the girls waiting outside for them.

"Getting an extra hour with him?" Rarity berated the two in pure jealousy, "Hmph, it sounded like the two of you had a blast with him too."

"Jealous?"

"I think it's obvious. I'm not even going to deny it anymore. Anyway, who's next for tonight?"

"I think we should use the time lapse spell first," Twilight held her hand up, and blasted a mini blue ball of energy into Cobalt's room, "Close the door!" They quickly shut the door as the door jumped forward a bit.

Meanwhile on the inside of his room, Cobalt woke up as a large shield surrounded him, "Barrier. Great for blocking magic," He sat up and stared at his clock, "Perfect. Back an hour," He put down the barrier and stretched, "Gotta stay awake for an extra two hours, or until they come wake me up...," Just as he said this, the door slowly opened.

The girls peeked inside as Cobalt turned to make it seem like he was still sleeping, "It worked. Look, his clock is 1 hour behind ours. Come on, let's not wake him up," They closed the door again, and once Cobalt heard the click, he sat back up.

"Geez, they're really going through with this plan? I mean, they don't know about... you know what. I'm not getting into that. They're gonna let me have an extra hour of sleep, so I might as well make use of it...," Cobalt laid back down as he drifted off to sleep.

Harmony and the twins woke up to see the girls sneaking away from Cobalt's room, and decided to mess with them a little, "Girls, did you feel that tremor last night?"

"Huh?"

" I thought I felt, or at least heard one. Cobalt's room sounded like there was an earthquake hitting it."

The girls stiffened up, seeming to forget that both Harmony and the twins were downstairs next to Cobalt's room, "Uh..."

"I heard the two of you yelling and moaning in pleasure too," Harmony said as she pointed at both Rainbow and Fluttershy.

"Well that was..."

"I never knew a earthquake could cause pleasure."

"We had sex with him!" Fluttershy yelled, surprising everyone, even Harmony.

"I know...," Harmony smiled as she looked around for a second, and continued, "We know about your little plan of using the time lapse spell to take Cobalt's virginity. However. there's something you girls should know."

They all stared at Harmony as she held her hand. Like Bolt, her hand was surrounded by electricity, "Whoa!" The girls stepped back in fear as she held her hand up.

"I think someone else should explain it," She shot off her Bolt, and it something solid behind her, "That someone being Cobalt?" They looked down to see Cobalt burnt to a crisp, "Why don't you tell them... sweetie."

"Sweetie!" They all yelled in surprise. Rarity ran up to Cobalt's burnt body, lifted him with one hand, and stared into his dazed eyes.

"You said your relationship want intimate!"

"He lied," Harmony said.

"Then that means, your virginity was already taken by..."

"Me," The Headmistress raised her hand, making Rarity's hair change to a color similar to Sunset's.

"You... player!" Rarity raised her free hand, which burned like Harmony's hand when she uses Blaze, and smacked him through his bedroom door, "Hmph...!"

"Whoa...," All the girls stared at Rarity with surprise. Once she had realized what she had done, her hair was back to its cerulean-colored self.

"I don't know what got over me. This whole time, Cobalt said how much he loved us before he left Canterlot. Now we find out that he's in a relationship with you, Headmistress."

"Well time flew by, and Cobalt and I hung out so much that we grew a liking to each other. I confessed to him, and he said yes. We've been dating for... 3 years now, and about 5 months before you girls arrived... he proposed..."

...

The girls sat in silence at this news. This whole time they had thought Cobalt invited them back because he loved and missed them, but now they know the truth.

"Them why did he bring us here if it wasn't because he loved and nodded us?"

Harmony stood in silence, get once smiling face changed to that of a serious once, "That's something I don't know myself. He had never told me why. But I'm not sure he expected...," She stopped and looked at Cobalt who was slowly standing up.

"Harmony, can we talk for a second?" Cobalt said in a disgruntled tone.

"Uh.. yes?"

"In private...," Cobalt irritation to his tone as Harmony slowly nodded. The girls couldn't help but notice Cobalt's different body behavior and tone. Almost as if, Harmony said or did something she wasn't suppose to...

All the girls could wonder, especially Twilight, is what else is he hiding from them...

* * *

"I'm guessing this is serious since you placed a sound barrier around us, right?" Harmony was somewhat scared to see Cobalt somewhat angry at her.

"Is that what it looks like? Oh please, this is only the beginning...," Cobalt rubbed his faced as he sighed in frustration, "Are you fucking serious Harmony? You had tell them all of that fucking nonsense?"

"Cobalt sweetie..."

"Don't call me that! I'm not your sweetie. Not anymore at least...," Cobalt sighed once before continuing, "Why did you lie to them about us being together...?"

"We were dating..."

"Keyword 'were'! Like seriously, the one time I could make amends with them, you pull shit like this!"

"Cobalt... calm down..."

"Don't tell me to fucking calm down!" Cobalt's eyes started to burn with anger as he turn and glared at her, sending shivers down Harmony's spine.

"Cobalt..."

Cobalt realized what he was doing, and slowly calmed down, "Sorry. I'm just... frustrated at the situation I'm in now. I'm pretty sure they all hate me now. I'm pretty sure I promised them my heart, then I go and disappear without a word for 6 years, then I return to them, only for them to find out that I'm married to you which is a false statement..."

"One reason I said that was to setup something else..."

"What?"

"About my brother's visit..."

"Hmph, 'visit' my ass. He's not here to visit this school. You know he hates this school. He's just here to take whatever girl is to his liking. And I know that one of my friends will meet his liking. I already guess on who as well..."

"Would you like to clear things up with the girls?"

"Yeah, I don't want them hating me..."

"I promise you that they won't hate you..."

Cobalt took a deep breath as he walked back outside to meet the girls standing in front, Rarity looking apologetic, "Why do you girls look like that?"

"Cobalt," Harmony said behind him, "You did the sound barrier spell wrong."

"I just knew I did, bit I was too stubborn to fix it...," He then looked at the girls, "So all of you heard?" They nodded, "Then let me explain the truth. Let's have a seat in the living room...," They followed Cobalt to the living room as he sat down, "So what should we explain first?"

Rarity answered, "What is your true relationship with the Headmistress?"

Cobalt sighed and chuckled, "Well, we did date, and I did purpose to her."

"Did?"

"Yes, we did date for 3 years that much is true. I did purpose to her not long ago, but the reason we started dating was because I was away from all of you. With all the stress of trying to get you girls to school caught up to me in the long run, Harmony sort of... gave me that unique feeling that you girls gave me..."

"You see," Harmony started, "Cobalt did what he could to get you girls here. He would usually never sleep for weeks on end just to find a way to get you girls here. The stress caught up to him to a point of depression, constant stress and anxiety. With his students starting to get worried, they turned to me for help. I did what I could, and eventually, I fell in love with him and vice-versa."

"After 3 years of dating, I finally had the guts to propose. However, when I found out you girls got the okay to attend Starlight, I called off the wedding, and both Harmony and I broke up on mutual terms. Of course, we do still mingle a bit, but not as much as did before."

"Why did you lie to us back in Canterlot?"

"Technically, I didn't lie. I told you our relationship wasn't intimate, at the moment. We do still go out on weekends to go to a bar or something like that. We get drunk, and find each other in the same bed as one another."

"Wait you mentioned you lost virginity to the Headmistress. When was this?"

"About a year after we started dating. It just sort of happened. I mean seriously you two," Cobalt said as he looked at Fluttershy and Rainbow, "did you really think I would that much as a virgin?" The two girls blushed as everyone laughed at their embarrassment.

Rarity then asked, "So you're still... single?" Cobalt nodded, causing Rarity to leap from her seat and tackle Cobalt for a hug, "Yay! That means I still have a chance! And I'm sorry for slapping you like that!"

"Alright... just chill out..."

Twilight then spoke, "Now I would like to know this," Twilight paused as everyone looked at her, Why do you hate the Headmistress' brother?"

Cobalt paused as he looked on in anger. Harmony them spoke for him, "It's who my brother is. You see, He makes annual visits to the school to seek out another bride to add to his 'collection' so to speak."

"Collection?"

Cobalt then spoke, "He treats women as if they were his playthings instead of normal people. It pisses me off so much..."

"If you remember hearing about Cobalt's loss to my brother, the reason he lost the duel is much deeper than all of you think," Harmony praised as he looked at Cobalt, "Let me handle this," He nodded as he looked away from them, "You see, my brother had planned to go and take one of Cobalt's to students in as his bride. The girl heavily objected to the marriage, yet my brother refused to listen. That's when Cobalt stepped in. He challenged him. Cobalt put his rank, and that girl's future on the line, and lost."

"It's my fault that girl is now the sex toy of someone she doesn't even like. Her whole life is over because of me!"

"Shush you...," Harmony snapped her fingers, making Cobalt fall asleep, "Cobalt had blamed himself for that girl going with him, and ever since that, lost that spark of ferocity he has during duel, sending him on a long losing streak."

"How long ago was this, if I may ask?" Rarity asked in curiosity.

"About 2 years ago..."

"He was on a losing streak for 2 years?!" Harmony nodded, "All because of something that wasn't his fault..."

They all begun to stare at Cobalt who was out cold. They hadn't realized the things he's been through while here in the mystic realm.

"My brother is coming to visit soon..."

"Huh?"

"That's why Cobalt had been a little anxious recently. I made up all that drama for that very reason. To make some drama...," After pausing, she continued, "You see, he wants me to keep you girls away from my brother. He doesn't want to lose any of you to a man like him. I, myself, don't even like my brother."

"Wow..."

"Just listen, I don't when he'll be here, but he's going to be here soon. So when he does, just prepare yourself for what he'll try to do to all of you..."

They all nodded, but they couldn't help but wonder if there was more to Harmony's brother then what they're telling them...


	9. Chapter 9

Now was the day to finally head home, Cobalt and Harmony had their night out, and surprisingly, nothing happened between them. They had a few drinks, did karaoke, and took a walk along the beach. However, they had a certain conversation while on the beach.

"Cobalt, it's nice out here at night, right?"

"Yeah, I'm glad I decided to go today. Although, I'm still pretty pissed at you for that bullshit you pulled a few days back."

"How many times do I have to say I'm sorry?"

"Listen, what you did pushed the boundaries with the girls. Twilight already didn't trust me when we arrived, and now, I have a feeling she's even more suspicious now..."

"What? Are you trying to make her your bride?"

"No, I just don't want her to feel suspicious. I want to be her friend, you know that."

"I understand, sorry..."

"Don't be anymore. I forgive you. Besides, aren't you suppose to be mature right now? Because currently. you're acting like how I first met you. Shy, and... apprehensive recently. Is it about your brother's arrival?"

"Yes..."

"I not only hate him because of how he treats woman, but of what he's trying to do to realize your father's ambition."

"You mean subduing each nation one by one in the mystic realm?"

"Basically..."

 _If you_ _hadn't_ _known,_ _Harmony's_ _family love power. They loath it, but Harmony_ _isn't_ _like that. She likes_ _each_ _nation of the_ _mystic realm to be living in harmony, hence her name. She doesn't like meddling with other nations and their affairs, nor does she want to take their power away. As of now, the nations of the mystic realm are living peacefully, but unbeknownst to them, Harmony's brother was planning to invade each nation, and subdue them._

"You can't even do anything about it. Once your brother starts his invasions, there won't be any going back..."

"Many officials have voted against the invasions, but he still plans to go with his plan."

"Won't this start a great war or something like that?"

"Well, unless someone does something about it," Harmony stopped walking as she turned to look at Cobalt, "However, I'm more worried about how you'll feel when my brother arrive."

Cobalt continued walking as he chuckled, "I guess we'll see when that time arrives. First of all, I have to get ready with my duel against Midnight, right?"

"Yeah!" She ran beside Cobalt as they continued walking along side the beach, "Can I..."? She pointed towards his arm, causing him to chuckle.

"Yeah, go ahead," She smiled and took his arm.

And now, it was time for Cobalt's long awaited duel with the current second strongest mystic in the universe, Midnight. Since the duel was so huge, they are having it in the biggest arena in the mystic realm: Myriad Arena.

In Cobalt's locker room, Cobalt was mentally preparing himself.

 _This was it... my duel with Midnight. This long awaited duel between us will surely be the talk around the mystic realm for centuries to come! However, I haven't dueled Midnight since her rehabilitation. I defeated her yes, but that was so long ago..._

 _I don't know what skills she knows now. She's a crafty little mystic, so I have to prepare myself mentally for whatever she throws at me..._

A knock soon sounded out throughout Cobalt's locker room, causing Cobalt to snap out of his trance, "Cobalt!" The voice was Rarity.

"Yes, come in Rarity..."

She opened the door, to see Cobalt sitting in the middle of his locker room, "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be. Are they waiting on me?"

"Yes, shall we get going?"

"Sure thing, let's go...," Cobalt stood up as he stopped Rarity first, "Hold on, do you remember that present you girls gave me before I left for the mystic realm?"

"Yeah?"

"I liked it, but I sort of modified it slightly. Go ahead and go on to the arena. You'll see what I mean," Rarity, although confused, she walked back up to the stands in the arena.

"Yo Rarity!" Rainbow yelled from their seats, "Where's Cobalt? Everyone's waiting for him."

"He's about to come out. By the way, he said that he modified our present that we gave to him before he left. I can't wait to see what he did!" They all awaited Cobalt's entrance as they saw lights point at the other side of the arena.

"About to enter the arena, Ranked 2nd in the entire universe: Midnight Gleam!" Everyone cheered loudly for Midnight as she walked through with a three sectional staff.

"That's her weapon?" Twilight questioned as she looked at Midnight standing proudly in the middle of the arena.

"She uses a three sectional staff after her rehabilitation. She used to use a flail, but changed afterwards," Harmony explained, "She's much more powerful and dangerous with the tri-staff. Although, Cobalt also had a weapon change, which took him a while to adapt to."

Before anyone else could say anything, the light shined to the other side of the arena, "Now, introducing, Ranked 3rd in the universe, you know him for going on a 2 year losing streak! Here he is: Shiiiiiining Coooooooobaaaaaaalt!" The crowed exploded with cheers as Cobalt slowly walked out wearing Japanese-inspired armor that was lightweight, and was light on the armor. It was more stylish rather than battle ready.

"Wow...," They all stared at Cobalt as he slowly walked towards the middle of the arena to meet Midnight, "He looks great!" Rarity, along with the others, were soon enticed at Cobalt's attire.

Soon, the two mystics were eye-balling each other, "Midnight..."

"Cobalt..."

"Quite the crowd we stirred up, correct?"

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to how much you've improved..."

"I should be saying that to you Midnight."

"Oh well," They both turned away from each other to gain some distance between the two of them.

An official rose from the side of the battlefield to explain the rules, "As you know the rules, the timer will be set to 5 minutes! If your hit points reach zero, the duel is over! Once time is up before then, the one with the most hit points will be declared the winner! Remember, this is no holds barred! Anything goes you two!"

"Right!" They both yelled.

"Are both fighters ready?"

"Ready!" Both yelled again.

"Very well," The official soon went away as a timer started to countdown.

5...

 _This was it..._

4...

 _Cobalt..._

3...

 _I want you to know..._

2...

 _I won't hold back!_

1... GO!

And so it began...

* * *

The two mystics charged at each other, and came into a shockwave inducing deadlock. The two stared each other in their deadlock, both smirking brightly at each other.

The two stepped back away from each other before circling around the arena, _"I have no idea what she could throw at me. Right now, she has the agility... I have the dexterity due to my loose clothing..., but how can I determine what she'll use to her advantage."_

"Shattered Wall!" Midnight yelled as a large mirror-like maze filled the arena.

"Headmistress, what is Shattered Wall?" Twilight questioned, "Cobalt has talked about said ability, but he never really taught us about its use..."

"Shattered Wall is a spell that uses deception. Similar to a hall of mirrors at a carnival, it uses reflections to fool the opponent's field of view to confuse them on the user's presence. With Shattered Wall, she can bypass Cobalt's 6th sense skill easily. However...," Harmony stated, "she doesn't know how well Cobalt prepared for this said spell."

"Huh, Shattered Wall... nice try...," Cobalt held his hand to the ground, unleashing a purple shockwave throughout the arena. A shriek sounded out throughout the arena, causing the mirrors to disappear.

"Huh?!"

"What Cobalt just did was disable all deception magic from the field. Another incomplete ability called: Nullify. He's able to disable any magic based on category. Shattered Wall is, like I said, a deception spell, so he disabled that, along with other deception spells. However, this makes deception spells for both the user and the opponent useless."

"Damn it Cobalt?! Why'd you ruin the fun so early?!"

"Because this duel is only 5 minutes, and there's no way in hell I was going to let you win by default. We gotta give the duel the people wanna see! Besides," Cobalt teleported behind Midnight, and attempted to hit her, but Midnight's reaction time was fast enough to block it with her tri-staff, "I'm not going to go easy on you."

"I don't plan to either...," Midnight attempted to roundhouse kick Cobalt, but he flipped away from her. Cobalt leaped into the air, attached his katana to his foot, and charged downward towards Midnight, surprising her, "Whoa!" She jumped back, and dug her foot in the ground before jumping up towards Cobalt. She held her foot out, and it soon surrounded itself in a icy dome. Her foot came in contact with Cobalt's katana, freezing it to his foot.

"Damn it!" Cobalt stomped into the ground as he tried to free his foot, but he saw Midnight out the corner of his eyes smirking.

"Good night...," Cobalt's vision was now blackened to where he could only see a few feet in front of him.

"I thought I..."

"You should really brush up on your spell execution Cobalt...," Midnight appeared behind him, and landed a devastating combo on Cobalt, ending it in another fierce kick. This knocked Cobalt into the wall with a fierce thud.

"Man, spells just aren't my thing...," Cobalt stood up and stretched his shoulder out, "I guess I'll just have to get physical...," Cobalt stood back and charged towards Midnight, she got ready to counter whatever he had planned, but she felt a chill down her spine. Now, Cobalt was behind her, a red aura around his body, "Ha, I love my speed. You should be able to outclass my speed, right Midnight?"

"Ha! Let's finish this duel!" Midnight charged at Cobalt, with Cobalt easily retaliating back. They both attacked each other with such speed that nobody saw their arms. They broke apart from each other as Cobalt stiffened up as multiple cuts appeared on his body.

"What the hell? How can a staff make cuts...?" Midnight smirked as she extended her staff, which wrapped around Cobalt, "What the...?!" She pulled him back towards herself, and smirked as she caught him.

"Ready to dive?"

"Oh no..."

"What's going on headmistress?!" Rarity yelled.

Harmony held her head down in disappointment at this, "It's over from here..."

Midnight jumped high with Cobalt still in her grasp. She jumped to a daring height before turning back towards the ground, and plummeting towards it at a dangerous speed. A large fire ball formed around them as they inched closer to the ground.

Closer...

Ever so closer...

And...

They made contact with the ground, causing a large fiery explosion to fill the stadium. The smoke from the explosion filled the arena, blinding everyone from viewing the results. Everyone waited anxiously for the results of the fierce attack.

Once the smoke dissipated, everyone saw the result. Midnight stood tall as Cobalt laid face first on the ground, "And it's over..."

"It's not over!" The announcer yelled.

"Huh?!"

The scoreboard read that Cobalt wasn't knocked out yet, and still had 100 hit points left, and Midnight with 250. 1 minute on the clock, and Midnight had expected that to be a one hit K.O.

"How did that not take you out?!" Cobalt slowly stood up as his eyes lost it's color, and began to glow a gold aura, "Last Stand!" Cobalt appeared in front of Midnight, and stopped her from moving, "No!"

Harmony sat on in awe, _"He survived that hit? No one has ever survived that dive attack from Midnight ever..."_

Cobalt held his sword behind him as it glowed red, "Now... it's over," Cobalt swung his sword at Midnight's abdomen. He pushed his sword fiercely before smirking. He swung right through her, and grabbed her from behind, "Heads up!" Cobalt jumped high just like Midnight, but instead of charging with her, he threw her down, and followed her down. He appeared underneath her, and held his katana up.

Midnight landed straight through the katana, impaling her through, "Bolt!" Cobalt shot a beam of lightning through the katana and threw her off of it. The buzzer sounded as Cobalt knelt down on one knee panting heavily. The hit point read: Cobalt: 12 hit points. Midnight: 5 hit points.

"We have your winner, and new Rank 2 Mystic: Shining Cobalt!" The arena erupted in cheers as confetti surrounded Cobalt. He looked up, still panting heavily. Cobalt's friends ran up to him, and surrounded him in a group hug.

"That was awesome Cobalt!" Rainbow yelled.

"Yeah, we all thought you were a goner!" Applejack added.

"Hehe, I try my best..."

"That was very impressive Cobalt. You're definitely worthy of the number 2 spot," Harmony smiled brightly at Cobalt as he returned the smile. However, a slow clap rose from behind them. They all turned to see a man with white, noble armor, with long white hair, somewhat similar to Cobalt's walking up to them.

"Impressive indeed... Shining Cobalt..."

"Who is that?" Twilight asked.

"Brother?" Harmony somewhat answered unintentionally.

They all stood wide eyed as Cobalt stared down Harmony's finally revealed brother, "That's right, I'm Harmony's big brother, Brisk Wing, and now, I would like to duel you, Shining Cobalt..."

They all gasped as Cobalt stood silent, rage in his eyes as he saw Harmony's brother. Brisk smirked as he stared at the state Cobalt was in.

 _You finally arrive... you bastard..._


	10. Chapter 10

Murmurs filled the arena, each conversation was about Cobalt's duel with Brisk 2 years ago. The girls helped Cobalt balance himself since he had just used Last Stand.

"Brother, you can't duel Cobalt now. He had just had a grueling duel with Midnight..."

Before Brisk could respond, Cobalt spoke first, "Who said I wasn't ready now? I'm more than ready to face you Brisk..."

"Oh? Confident are we? Hmph, that confidence will get you killed. Much like the confidence you give to those students of yours. Which reminds me, I must head off to the school. I require a new bride."

Cobalt gritted his teeth as Brisk started to walk off, "Now wait just a second!" Brisk turned around to see Rarity stepping up front.

"Oh...," The moment he laid eyes on her, he felt enticed by her looks, "How... beautiful..."

"I don't like how you treat everyone, namely woman, with such disrespect. A man of your stature should respect his subjects, not... demoralize them!"

"Such a woman... with such beauty and ferocity. A woman fit to be my bride!"

"What?!" Rarity stood dazed at what Brisk just said.

"Please, I must know your name," Brisk grabbed both of Rarity's hands, and held them close to his face as he said this.

Rarity still stood dazed at Brisk's comment, and actions. This is when Cobalt intervened, "Keep your dirty hands off of her," Cobalt slapped Brisk's hands away from Rarity's as he pulled her close.

"Oh, is this your girlfriend Cobalt? Quite surprising for a man like you to have such refined woman like her."

"She's not my... look, just step off of her. It's obvious she doesn't like you."

"Harmony, I wasn't actually here for a wife currently. Once I heard about you dueling Midnight, I came to see if you would retain your 2nd place spot, or if you would drop back down again. I wanna say that I'm impressed that you've actually earned you place back. However, I propose an offer. We duel, snd if you win, you can take the number 1 spot."

Cobalt stood anxious at the offer, but he smiled, "I accept..."

"Cobalt!"

"In fact, we can do it now. I don't feel like waiting to kick your ass Brisk..."

"Cobalt, what are you doing?!"

"Oh, even after that duel with Midnight? Very well then, I accept."

"Cobalt, you aren't even fit to stand. Why would subjugate yourself to something like this?"

"Because. this isn't for that number one spot...," Cobalt looked at his fist, and balled it up, "This is for redemption..."

"We're glad to say that we have another treat for all of you!" The announcer yelled with excitement, "For the first time in two years, the number 1 and number 2 will be facing off in a duel to end all duels! The Ice Demon, Brisk Wind!"

An mix of boos and cheers filled the arena as Brisk waved to the crowd with a smirk on his face, "Such a mixed reaction..."

"There are many people that like and dislike my brother. It's usually like this..."

"And, the Angel of Lightning, Shining Cobalt!"

"You know the rules! Fighters, are you ready?!"

Cobalt held his sword close to him, ready at any moment to strike. Brisk took out two swords, and attached them together at the handle.

"What kind of weapon is that?" Rainbow asked out of curiosity.

"My brother's signature weapon, the dual-sword. It's extremely versatile, able to deliver fierce blows, and at an astounding speed if he takes them apart."

"Would Cobalt be at a disadvantage with such speed?"

"Depends, if Cobalt still has energy to even retaliate..."

"Ready? Go!" Cobalt charged towards Brisk, delivering lightning fast attacks. Brisk was able to block off each attack with ease. A look of boredom grew on Brisk's face.

 _What am_ _I_ _doing? Why am_ _I_ _not being precise with my hits?_

"Is that all?" Brisk lifted one of his swords up, and kicked Cobalt in the abdomen, staggering him slightly. Cobalt dug his foot into the ground, and disappeared within it.

Brisk stood still as he looked around for him. Cobalt jumped up from under Brisk, and attempted to hit him. Before Cobalt could attack, Brisk retaliated by jumping to dodge his attack, and throwing one of his sword at the ground, impaling Cobalt through his abdomen.

Brisk took his other sword, and drove straight down towards Cobalt who was still dazed from the attack. The girls stood up from their seats as they saw Cobalt's impending doom.

Once Brisk came into contact with Cobalt, his sword phased right through him, "What?"

"Behind you," Brisk turned around, only to get stabbed from behind, "I said behind you," Cobalt pushed through Brisk's body, and snapped his fingers causing multiple unseen slashes to form around Brisk. Brisk landed on one knee as Cobalt threw his sword into the ground, but instead of impaling the ground, it went straight through the ground, similar as to what Cobalt does when he goes into the ground.

Cobalt turned around quickly and kicked Brisk to the side, and Cobalt sword appeared from the ground, impaling Brisk through again. Brisk laid lifeless on the ground as Cobalt quickly walked up before, "I surrender!"

The scoreboard now read that Brisk had surrendered.

"You... surrender...?"

"Yes, I don't think I could take anymore punishment. You've definitely improved since our last duel. I see my sister has reignited that fire that burns inside you Cobalt. Call me impressed..."

"And we have your winner by surrender, and your new number 1: Shining Cobalt!" Again the crowd erupted with cheers. The crowd cheered so loud that it felt like the stadium really was rumbling.

Cobalt's friends ran down once again to tackle Cobalt into a hug, "You did it! You're number 1!"

"Woo-hoo, this calls for a party!" Pinkie yelled as she pulled out her party cannon.

"Actually, that would be a great idea," Brisk said from behind, "How about we throw it at the Capitol Building?"

Harmony answered, "I don't see why not. Let's go!"

Cobalt looked on confused as he saw everyone walk off from him. Cobalt stood dumbfounded, and yet, happy, "Cobalt darling, let's go!"

"Uh... yeah..."

"Is something on your mind?"

"It's nothing, Let's get going..."

* * *

Once everyone arrived at the large Capitol Building, they were lead to the main party hall. The party hall was huge. It looked as if it was the size of a whole separate buidling.

"Whoa...," Cobalt's friends stared in awe of the party hall. Cobalt was still skeptical of Brisk's actions.

 _There's no way he would just surrender like that. The duel_ _wasn't_ _even_ _2 minutes. The people expected more, but we gave them that shitfest..._

Cobalt looked on at the massive amount of attendants. Multiple people whom he knew, and some that he didn't know. Even so, Cobalt was anxious behind Brisk's true actions.

He was snapped out of his anxiousness when Harmony tapped his shoulder, "What's up with you Cobalt? You've been acting strange since the duel. What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I just feel like the sudden surrender of your brother was..."

"Out of the ordinary?" Harmony finished.

"Yeah, usually, he would go until there was nothing left. His surrender... makes me anxious of his true actions..."

Cobalt looked at Brisk from across the party hall, who was talking to other people. Cobalt was about to walk to him, but he was pulled aside by Rarity, "Come on Cobalt darling, this is a party, let's have some fun!"

"Uh... maybe in a little bit," Rarity looked on in confusion as Cobalt began making his way towards Brisk.

Brisk saw this out the corner of his eye and smirked, "Just a second everyone. I must speak with Cobalt," Brisk walked away from his group of people to meet Cobalt halfway in the party hall, "Cobalt, how is this party for you and your friends?"

Cobalt turned around to see his friends having fun. A few of them talking with one another, some dancing. However, Cobalt didn't like what was happening still, "Brisk, what are you planning?"

"What do you mean? I mean, I planned this party if that's where you're getting at."

"No, your surrender. You wouldn't surrender so easily. You would normally fight until you had no fight in you left. Now, you surrender after just a few hits?"

"Discretion is the better part of valor, Cobalt. I didn't want to overexert myself on a battle I knew I possibly couldn't win. It was a good choice on my part."

"No!" Cobalt yelled, attracting the attention of everyone in the party hall.

"Cobalt, what's up?" Rainbow asked as she moved behind him.

"The Commander of the Imperial Army losing by surrendering? Not only is that bad for the Imperial Army, but that's bad for your family's name. What are your true intentions?"

"You really want to know?" Cobalt's friends walked up behind him, curious of Brisk's true actions. Brisk chuckled as he tapped his spoon on his glass.

"Gather around everyone! I shall reveal my true intentions...," Brisk smirked devilishly as he glanced at Rarity, "Cobalt, the real reason was to give a little practice run before our _rea_ l duel."

"Huh?"

"Yes, my duel was only to see what you have improved on. From what I saw, you're still inconsistent. You're attacks are eratic and so predictable. However, I do know that you're placements have improved. It may give you a chance against me. Which is why I'll offer you another proposal."

"And that is?"

"We duel again, but not for the number one spot. I'll raise the stakes above that."

"So the stakes are high?"

"Yes, you see, if you win, I'll resign from my Commander position, and call of the invasions," Everyone gasped and began to murmur amongst each other.

"Yes, and if I lose?"

"You powers will be taken away, snd your memories, along with everyone that you've met will be no more," Brisk smirked at him waiting for a response.

"So you want me to risk losing my powers and memories? That's crazy..."

"Well, how I raise them higher. Along wit your powers I also take your indigo-haired friend there as my bride," Rarity hid behind Cobalt as Brisk offered that.

"You're crazy, there's no way I'm putting her up. She's not a prize for you to take."

"She won't be taken if you win. So do we have a deal?"

"...," Cobalt remained silent as he turned to Rarity, "Rarity..."

Rarity smiled at Cobalt and said, "I know you can win. You can do it."

"But..."

"Go for it, there's no way you'll lose..."

Cobalt thought back to 2 years ago... the girl back then said the same thing. However, this is Rarity. His friend... his love interest. There's no way he'd lose, "I accept!"

"Good. The duel shall take place tomorrow. We'll make it a duel to the death."

Everyone gasped at the duel rules, but Cobalt smirked, "Gives me a chance to kill you," The two stared each other down. Yet, Cobalt still felt there was something he was planning. Something that he just couldn't predict...

* * *

"Focus... focus...," Cobalt was back in his locker room meditating. It was interrupted with a knock on his door, "Come in!" Expecting it to be one of his friends, he was surprised to see, "Lightning? What are you doing here?"

"I've finally sucked up my pride to say... I'm sorry..."

"An apology? What for?"

"For my outburst a month ago."

"You waited that long for an apology, and at such a time like this?"

"Well," Lightning messed with something behind her, While acting shyly, "I wanted to give you this...," She took out a katana that had a unique design on it.

"Wow, did you make this?"

"Uh... yeah. That's why I waited so long to apologize. I was making this for you..."

"The craftsman ship on this blade is outstanding. The material looks a little cheep, but this looks flawless all around."

"Thank you, I'd like to see you use it in your duel today."

"Hm," Cobalt thought it over and nodded, "Very well, I shall use it. Thank you Lightning. Now off you go, I'm about to head out."

"Yes sir!" Lightning walked off, a devilish smirk slowly growing in her face as she walked off.

"Now, a rematch that all of you have wished for. After yesterday's duel, people were eager to see a rematch that would top it. And now we will, Cobalt and Brisk will go at it again in a duel to the death. Both competitors must fight to the death without any outside interferences. The fighters have no time limit to fight to the death. Whoever submits or dies first loses!"

"A fight to death... what if Cobalt loses and...," Rarity nearly fainted at the thought of Cobalt dying.

"He won't, just believe in your teacher...," Harmony didn't show it, but she was worried too.

After the introductions were through, they got ready to fought, "Are both of you ready?"

"Yes!" Both mystics yelled.

"Alright! Ready?! Go!"

Cobalt started off by teleporting into the ground before rising behind Brisk to strike. Brisk retaliated by delivering a quick blow to Cobalt's midsection.

Cobalt flinched as he jumped back from Brisk. Brisk stuck on of his sword unbroken the ground add a large shard of ice slated below Cobalt. Cobalt jumped up to avoid the large icicle, but it soon exploded, and the shards pierced Cobalt's skin.

Cobalt winced from the pain from the icicles. Blood dripped from the wounds he had suffered from the small barrage of attacks.

"Why can't he attack?"

"My brother's reaction time is what got him to where he is now. Not only that, but he also knows Cobalt's fighting style well. Cobalt has a hard time of adapting... huh?" Harmony caught a glimpse of Cobalt's katana and was confused.

"What's the matter Headmistress?"

"That's not Cobalt's katana. It looks heavier than his original one. Where did he get that?"

Cobalt dropped his katana into the ground, and ran towards Brisk. He know attempted hand to hand combat. However, each time Brisk blocked, he would use his blade instead of the flat side of the sword, cutting Cobalt each time he punched.

Cobalt stepped back, his hands covered in blood as he panted heavily. He then smirked as his katana appeared below Brisk.

Brisk attempted to dodge it, but the blade cut his left leg, opening a huge wound on it, "Damn it...," Brisk slowly waved his blade in the air as small ice shards formed. Brisk smirked as the shards started to chase Cobalt around the arena.

Cobalt grabbed his katana before he stopped, and dug his feet to start slashing through each shard with ease. That is until one of the shards pierced Cobalt's abdomen. Cobalt fell to one knee as he started to bleed heavily from his abdomen.

"Cobalt!" Rarity stood up at the amount of blood Cobalt was losing, "Someone has to stop this. Cobalt isn't going to survive!"

"Cobalt knows when the quit..., or at least I hope he does...," Harmony started to worry more as she saw Cobalt stand up again. Blood covered his body, but he still fought on. Cobalt charged at Brisk and teleported around him, attempting to attack him from every side he could. However, Brisk blocked each attack with ease.

 _Come on, just a little bit faster to beat his reaction time... just a little bit more! Come on!_

Cobalt soon got faster and faster before he activated Last Stand.

"Cobalt, stop!" Harmony jumped up from her seat, surprising everyone, "If you use Last Stand here, you'll die!" The girls went wide-eyed after they heard her say this. Rarity gritted he teeth before running off.

Cobalt kept going faster and faster, blood oozing from his eyes, ears, nose and mouth, just like before. Brisk looked on with a large smirk on his face as he looked up into the stands as he reflected off each attack from Cobalt.

Lightning watched on as she walked away from the arena.

 _Faster! Faster! FASTER!_

Cobalt attempted to land one hit, but once it was blocked by Brisk, his katana shattered from the force. Cobalt landed and stared at what remained of the katana that was given to him, and then it clicked.

 _I get it now. The random apology and act of kindness. The katana... the cheap materials... this was a ploy. She gave me this... to lose..._

Brisk chuckled as he stuck his sword into the ground, and again, the same huge icicle protruded from the ground, stabbing Cobalt all throughout his body. Cobalt didn't react... it already seemed like he was dead, "Any last words?" Cobalt remained silent as he waited his impending doom, "Hmph, I guess I don't have to take your powers. Farewell, Shining Cobalt!" Before Brisk could lay the final hit, a voice called out behind him.

"That's enough!" Everyone turned towards the voice, it was Rarity.

"When did she...?"

"It's me that you want, right? Then... you can take me as your bride... if you leave my friend alone..."

"Oh, offering your body up in marriage to save your friend? How delightful. Very well then, I shall let Cobalt go," Cobalt dropped down once the icicle disappeared.

"Rarity! What are you doing?!" All of her friends rushed down to see what had happened.

"Rarity, that's your name? Such a wonderful name. Hehe, your friend here has offered her body in marriage in exchange of protecting your precious friend here."

"Rarity!"

"I'm sorry, it's the only way to save him," She then glanced at Cobalt's near lifeless body as she smiled, "I know he'll come back for me... I know it..."

Brisk smirked at her hopes before opening a portal, "Let us go my sweetheart. We must prepare a grand wedding," Twilight stared at them leaving, and then back at Cobalt. Multiple wounds surrounded his body as he laid in a pool of his own blood. She then gritted her teeth and she spawned in a unique looking fan, and shot a beam of light at Brisk. The beam narrowly missed Brisk. He turned around annoyed and snapped his fingers.

Everyone's vision soon got blurry, and a large white flash surrounded vision before... it was over...

 _"Please Cobalt... save me soon..."_


	11. Chapter 11

The girls woke up to their homes in Canterlot. They all woke up normally. They did their morning routine, and yet, they felt as if they were missing something, or someone. They all decided to talk in a group voice chat.

"Girls?"

"Yeah?"

"Something isn't right. Where's Rarity?"

"I thought she was going on a out of country business trip. She's really lucky..."

"Huh... no, I just feel like we're missing someone else. Like someone that's..."

"Now that 'ya mention it. 'Ah do feel that way too. 'Ah just can't point it out..."

"Same here..."

The girls all sat in silence confused as to what was missing from their lives, apart from Rarity...

"Who else would be missing..."

Twilight began to brainstorm, "Come on think... think...," It was then she remembered this exact conversation.

 _"Do you trust me, Twilight?"_

 _"Huh? Why is that brought up?"_

 _"Well, I've met Princess Twilight before you, and she seemed to deem me a friend the instant she met me. Now, with you, I can see that you're kind of... suspicious of me. Yes, you are very inconspicuous with your actions of not trusting me, but at times, I can read your body language like a book. My real question to you Twilight, is if you trust me or not?"_

 _Twilight stood silent as Cobalt didn't face her. She then answered, "I just find it weird that you decided to randomly appear after 6 years of zero communication with our friends. I mean, I could understand why, but not even a visit to them, or even an attempt to do so. That's why I'm sort of... suspicious of your actions."_

 _Cobalt chuckled as he turned to her, "I couldn't visit because... of something that happened between the Headmistress's brother, and myself. I guess for so long, I was... a different person because of it. I didn't really talk to anyone, and that included my friends. However...," Cobalt paused and sighed, "I felt the guilt of not contacting our friends, and... that's when I spent 2 years attempting to get you girls into Starlight. I had to jump many hurdles, but I managed to get you girls here."_

 _Twilight continued to listen as Cobalt spoke, "I never intended to lose contact with the girls, but as a teacher of Starlight, my schedule is always filled with either with schooling, or being a member of the Imperial Army. I'm sorry for giving you some type of weird suspicious vibe. I never intended to do so."_

 _Twilight shook her head and smiled, "No, I'm sorry for feeling that way. I should of known how close you were to them, and now seeing what you have to go through here in the mystic realm, I can understand."_

 _"Thank you Twilight. I'm glad you understand."_

 _"I mean, it's not that bad. I've learned about so much about being a mystic, and I've learned so many useful powers to go with mine."_

 _"Yeah, you're welcome for that. I'm not trying to spoil you girls, but you do live under my house."_

"Brain Blast!"

"Huh?"

"I remember now. Do you girls remember anyone of the name, Shining Cobalt?"

It was silent for a second before, "I remember!"

"Girls, should we meet up, and talk about this?" They all agreed, and met up at Pinkie's house.

"Man, Brisk said anyone that has met Cobalt will lose their memory of him. But friends never forget each other," Sunset looked at her friends who nodded in agreement.

"And Rarity is gonna get married to that prick too. When I see that fucker, I'm gonna teach him a lesson he'll never forget."

"We have to find Cobalt first. Without him, we won't know what to do."

"Cobalt won't be of any use to us without his powers. We need to find his sister. Maybe she can help us know of his whereabouts."

"Do you think she still lives in the same house."

They all thought it over and nodded. They all hopped into their cars before driving off to Emerald's house. They soon saw it over the hill, and were eager to know if Emerald was still there.

Once they arrived at the house, they all anxiously waited in front of the door. Twilight pressed the doorbell, and soon enough, Emerald was the one that opened up, "Hey girls, what's up?"

"You still remember us?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I? You girls really changed Cobalt's life."

"But have you heard?"

"Heard what?"

"We'll explain. May we come in?"

"Sure thing," Emerald let them inside, and they explained everything that's lead up to them being back I'm Canterlot, "I see, so Cobalt made a deal with Brisk and ended up losing his powers, along with Rarity?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, I haven't seen Cobalt. I thought all of you were still in the mystic realm. Now that I know this, we have to find him. If he had lost his powers and memory, then he'll be here in this realm. However, it'll be too late to find him just anywhere. He could be here in Canterlot, but he might not be. Our best bet is to search the city, put up fliers, ask around. No matter what, we have to find him."

And they did just that. They searched every crevasse for Cobalt. They asked whoever they could to find out his whereabouts, but no avail, they found nothing.

They arrived back to Emerald's house with their heads held low, "I'm guessing the search didn't go so well."

"Nobody remembers Cobalt. Not even Celestia and Luna. This is bad, if we don't find him soon, Rarity will be subjugated to something horrible."

"I think it's my turn to search around. You girls can rest here. I ordered some pizza about 10 minutes ago. It should be here soon. The money for it is on the counter top. You girls should also help Lapis with her homework. Lapis, don't give them trouble, alright?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Alright, I'm off girls. Be safe," Emerald left with a stack of fliers, leaving them alone to wonder where and what Cobalt is doing.

"Girls, I'm getting worried. What if we never find Cobalt, and Rarity is stuck in the mystic realm?"

"Don't think like that..."

"It's all I can think about. Man... I miss them."

Sunset then remembered back to when they were out earlier, "Actually, I think I might have seem Cobalt while we were out."

"You did?"

"Well, I think I did..."

-4 hours earlier-

 _I was in this neighborhood. I was rushing to meet up with you girls._

"I still haven't found him. Where could he be?!"

 _I_ _hadn't_ _realized_ _I_ _was in the path of a pizza delivery guy. I ran face first into him,_ _and_ _I_ _met face to face with him..._

"Ow!"

"Whoa!"

Sunset looked at the guy, and was astonished at his looks.

He had the same facial features as him and he acted just as sympathetic as Cobalt.

"Sorry for running into you. I wasn't looking where I was going, " The guy said apologetically.

"No, it was my fault. Sorry for running into you. I'll pay for the pizzas."

"No, that's fine. I make extra just in case something like this happens. Don't worry about paying for it. I'll take it out of my paycheck."

 _No one in there right_ _mind_ _would do something like that._ _There's_ _only a few_ _I_ _know that would do_ _that_ _, and Cobalt is_ _one_ _of them._

 _The only difference to his looks... was his hair._

-Present Time-

"What's wrong with his hair?"

"It was red. Cobalt's hair is blue. Not only that, it wasn't long or in a ponytail like usual. It was short, and spiked up to one side of his head."

"Huh..., that's weird...," It then clicked in Twilight's head, "Don't you remember to one of the lessons? Once a mystic loses their power, they lose their natural hair color, and it changes to that of the opposite color of their natural one. So Sunset... that was Cobalt!"

"Eh?!"

The doorbell then rung, and Sunset went to answer it. She was shocked to see who it was, "Delivery for Ms... oh, it's you. Pleasure to meet you again."

"Cobalt!" They all yelled.

Cobalt looked down at his name tag and laughed, "Oh yeah, my name is Shining cobalt, but I prefer-." They all surrounded him in a group hug, much to the now brainwashed Cobalt's surprise.

 _Why are_ _these_ _... cute girls... hugging me...?_


	12. Chapter 12

"We thought we'd never find you Cobalt...," The girls continued to hug Cobalt, much to his discomfort.

"Uh, as much as I enjoy being hugged by 6 cute girls. I think you have the wrong person. I don't know any of you, and I need to get back to work. I have to close up in about an hour."

"Uh, girls, group huddle!" They all gathered up together and began to find a way to get his memory back, "How did we all get our memories back?"

"Well," Twilight started, "I remembered a conversation we had before going to the beach..."

"I remembered...," Rainbow paused, and blushed, "Just take a guess..."

"Same here...," Fluttershy shyly said.

"'Ah remembered our date that he had with me before he left for the mystic realm..."

"Well, Cobalt always used to teach me privately about mystics, so I remembered instantly every lesson he taught me."

"Privately you say?" They all stared at Sunset at the mention of her being somewhere private with Cobalt.

"It wasn't like that. Just, whatever. What about you Pinkie?"

"Oh, I remember the party threw for before he left. That party was awesome!"

"Right, so how do we get Cobalt to gain his memories back?"

"Well, we all remembered something significant. Maybe if we can jolt Cobalt's memory with something significant to him, then maybe he'll get his memory back," They all turned towards Cobalt who was still holding the pizza.

"Uh, I need to get back to work, so I'll just let you girls have this for free...," Cobalt was about to put the pizza down, but he was stopped by Twilight, "What is this?"

"Just a little telekinesis. Now, I want-."

"Wait, telekinesis? That's just obsurd. There's no way that's humanly possible..."

"Well, I'm using it on you now aren't I?"

"Point taken..."

"Now, I want you to remember some stuff..."

"Like...?"

"What school did you go to?"

"Crystal Prep...," They all looked on in surprise at the school he said he attended, "Uh, problem?"

"No, you never attended that school. You went to CHS..."

"Ew, that school has a bunch of losers..."

Rainbow grew angry, but kept her cool, "Well, what were your grades?"

"Straight A's in honor classes," They all jumped back into a huddle.

"Well, he's still a genius, but what else can we do to jog his memory up?" They all thought it over, and Rainbow snapped her finger.

"That's it. Cobalt lived in the mountains before coming here. Maybe we can talk about his village."

"Good idea. Cobalt?"

"Yes?"

"Have you lived in Canterlot your whole life?"

"Uh...," Cobalt looked away as he answered, "Of course, why wouldn't I have, haha..."

"Bingo. Are you sure you didn't live in any mountain of some sort?"

"N-No, of course not... hehe..."

"You're stuttering...," Rainbow smirked as Cobalt began to stutter.

 _Crap, how do they know? Damn it, did word get out?_

They all stared at him as he began to talk out loud. It then clicked, and Sunset pointed it out, "Cobalt, stop talking out loud."

It then all flowed back to Cobalt.

 _That's it. I remember everything!_

"You girls... are my friends..., and my... lovers..."

They all smiled brightly as they surrounded Cobalt in a big group hug, "Cobalt! You're back!"

"Yup, but why is the one thing I hate doing is the one thing that brings my memory back. I thought that gag was over an done with!"

They all laughed as they settled down in the house. Lapis peaked out to see Cobalt in their house, "Cobalt?"

"Hey Lapis, long time no see..."

"Yay!" Lapis ran over to hug Cobalt, in which he returned it.

"I should really head back to work, but a little extra time should be fine. I'll just call my boss."

Cobalt took out his phone, and went out the back door. Once he did so, the girls smiled greatly and giggle, "Finally!" They all leaned back in relieve, "Now we just have to find out how to get to Rarity..."

Cobalt walked back in and took off his uniform shirt and hat, revealing his toned body once again. The girls were enticed by his body, before snapping out of their trance.

"Anyway, girls, I can't be of any use to you. Without my powers, I stand no chance against Brisk and his elite soldiers. The most I can do is tell you where Rarity is being held..."

"What kind of enthusiasm is that Cobalt? You can still fight, power or no power. Yes, the chances of you doing anything to Brisk now is low, but not doing anything won't do Rarity any good. The best you can do is get us more help."

"Well, every nation in the mystic realm dislike Brisk, but out of the 3 that dislike him, only 1 remains."

"What?"

"2 of the 4 nations surrendered before any blood was shed. The last remaining nation is Helios."

"Helios? Aren't they known for the power of their navy?"

"Yes, but they're dangerous on the ground as well. Brisk hasn't taken the risk of invading due to their weak navy. He's been slowly building his numbers over time, and with my defeat, Helios' morale will surely have dropped. He may take this one opportunity to invade. But only after we take down his strongest fortress..."

"Huh? We're going to attack right away?"

"It's the only way. We catch them off guard with a large, powerful army, and then we take the base with ease."

"That's easier said than done Cobalt...," They all nodded in agreement.

"It's easier with family," They turned to see Emerald waiting by the door, "Welcome back bro."

"It's good to be back, but when you say family, you only mean the two of us. What can the two of us possibly do against Brisk...?"

"That's not exactly what I mean. You're in for a surprise though," After she said this, Two people Cobalt had not seen, or hoped to have seen in two years.

Cobat when wide eyed as he said, "Our parents...?"

* * *

"What... how are they...?" Cobalt slowly stood up, and began making his way towards his parents, "Mom...? Dad...?"

"Cobalt, it's us sweetie. We're really here," Cobalt reached out his hand, and his mom took it, "No way..., and dad?"

"Rehabilitation was... something my son. But after a few years, I've finally, earned my way back into the ways of the mystics..."

"Wait," Cobalt pushed away and walked away from them, "Mom, you're suppose to be dead. You died when the village burned down..."

"Son, I never did die. That was a clone of myself. I placed a clone there to watch over the village while I was working out a deal with Helios."

"Wait? Have you been... working behind the scenes?"

"Of course, why do you think everything that's happened to this point has happened. Well, apart from losing your memory, and losing Rarity to Brisk."

"You know about...? Nevermind, so what are you planning?"

"Well...," Cobalt's mom started, "Once your father's rehabilitation was over, we decided to try our best to start an alliance with Helios. We knew that we didn't have enough time before our son did something stupid."

"True, but debatable..."

"And, our alliance has been accepted."

-Meanwhile, in the nation of Helios, Mystic Realm-

"So, Sapphire and Legacy are finally begging for our help. They fear Brisk that much?" A man sat on a throne holding a small little disc. He waved to a general, and he turned to walk away while being followed by other soldiers, "Now, nothing can stop us Brisk, not even you..."

-Back in Canterlot-

"Well, we have support from the water, but what about the ground? With just the 10 of us, we can't do any damage to a whole elite army."

"That's where your father comes in," They all looked at him as he began explaining.

"With my army having been rehabilitated like myself, I can have them assist us in the assault. However, there is one problem."

"And that is?"

"Your friends must stay here in Canterlot for this assault..."

"What?!"

They all looked in surprise as they were told to stay in Canterlot.

"But why father? They've improved so much on their skills as mystics."

"We can't let them join the assault because of what we're going up against. We can't risk them being captured as well. Look, I can't guarantee this assault will be successful. To avoid such risk, they must stay here."

"No, Cobalt is our friend, and we're helping him in this assault," Rainbow said in retaliation.

"Girls...," Cobalt's father tried to detest the situation, but he just couldn't bring himself to do so.

Cobalt then intervened, "Girls, stay here in Canterlot. Don't worry, you'll be by my side when we save Rarity."

"Same goes for you son."

"Oh fuck that, I'm going too"

"Son, you're leading the charge for the main attack on Brisk. We have your base of operations in the mystic realm."

"And where is this base of operations?"

"The former Capitol of Helios."

"Wow..."

 _For those who_ _don't_ _know, there are 4 nations in the mystic realm. Helios being one of them. Helios is known for having a powerful navy, and is the second strongest nation in the mystic realm._

 _Their former Capitol was huge, and_ _it's_ _main stronghold could withstand any attack thrown at it. However, once Brisk made his move to invade, they abandoned the capitol, and it was soon taken over by_ _Brisk_ _and his army. If_ _I_ _have a_ _stronghold like_ _that to work from, then_ _I_ _think the assault_ _on_ _Brisk_ _has just gotten easier._

"Wait, if I go there, then the girls with me too."

"There's a problem with them going with you..."

"And that is?"

"They're banned from the mystic realm, and the minute they're found out, they'll try to capture them no matter what..."

Cobalt then chuckled, "That won't be a problem. Let's just make sure they don't get seen by anyone."

"Cobalt..."

"Don't worry about it you two. You go ahead and do the assault. I'll go on and take the girls the stronghold. We'll be fine."

"Ok, well, Harmony, Midnight and Silver should have their memories back. They'll meet you in the stronghold."

"Got it, let's go girls."

-4 days later-

Everyone, with the exception of Sunset, sat in silence in the main office of the capitol. Cobalt sat, an angry expression on his face. All of his friends were in there, waiting for him to talk.

"Yes... we must defeat Helios...," Cobalt spoke in a deadpan voice. His friends were shocked at his demand.

"But Cobalt...," Rainbow started, "Brisk is our true threat, and with that devastating loss your parents had, our morale is too low to do anything right now. What would be the point of attacking them?"

Cobalt slammed his fist on his desk, and stood up, "What point?! How... how dare you say something like that! Avenge my parent's death. What other reason... do we need?!"

Rainbow stepped back at Cobalt's sudden outburst, a look of fear across her face.

The reason they were all silent, was that Cobalt's parents had lost their assault, and were killed in action. This time, for real. The sole reason for their loss, is the betrayal from the nation of Helios.

Cobalt sat back down, and placed his hands on his forehead, "I'm sorry..."

It was then Sunset came running through into the office, "Cobalt, I have... terrible news...," He remained silent as she continued, "Your sister... she... she... she has been killed...! By her own men..."

Cobalt slowly moved his hands from his head as he looked up in shock, "No..."

"The traitors have taken her head..., and fled to Helios!"

All of his friends all gasped in shock. Cobalt stood up, staggering slightly as he came to the realization that his whole family was dead, "My family... they're... dead...?" Cobalt shook slightly before yelling at the top of his lungs, "NOOOOOOOO!"

Cobalt spawned in his halberd, and sliced his desk in half with a large shockwave. Everyone turned in shock as Cobalt began to breath heavily before collapsing on the ground. Cobalt then began screaming in agony...

What happened on the battle, and the events that led to this? Well, you're about to find out...


	13. Chapter 13

After Cobalt's parents and sister left to start their assault, Cobalt went straight to training the girls into handing them their signature weapons

"Alright girls, let's get on with your weapons of choice. Twilight, I vaguely remember you using some type of war fan. May I see it?"

"Sure thing," Twilight manifested the same unique looking fan and gave it to Cobalt.

"A fan used by only the greatest of strategists. Able to harness your mystical powers, and unleash them with a power reduction penalty. How were you able to be able to use this?"

"I don't know. I looked to see what kind of weapon would be best for me. I came across this, and decided to use the manifest spell to create it. And there it is."

"That's amazing. Good choice, and from the looks of it, you already know how to use it. Impressive as always Twilight," Twilight smiled as Cobalt moved on to the next person, who was Rainbow.

"Now Rainbow, I think I have the perfect weapon, or weapons for you."

"Huh?"

Cobalt walked off and came back with two wing like blades, "Uh, they are wing blades," Cobalt looked up, and then back down, "They allow you to glide across the field, slicing anything in your path. They're light, so they make gliding easy and doesn't hinder your speed. Try it out," Cobalt tossed the blades to Rainbow.

Once she caught them, she was surprised to see that they were light as a feather, "Wow they are light. I thought you were fibbing about the weight since you said that your halberd was a little heavy, but this is light..."

"Try gliding with it. Get a running head start, and then jump to let yourself glide...," Cobalt said this as he began backing up.

"Where are you going?!"

"Hehe, I don't have any of my powers, so I'm not risking my life just yet...," Cobalt was now out of the room, which made Rainbow extremely nervous.

Rainbow too a deep breath before running at super sonic speed, and she soon felt her feet lift from the ground. She was shocked that she was gracefully gliding across the air. She slowly brought her feet back to the ground, and ran a few steps before making a complete stop, "That... was... AWESOME!"

"We'll work more later on your speed! You won't slice through anyone going that fast!" Cobalt slowly walked in as he had some type of cannon strapped to his arm.

"Cobalt, what's that?" Sunset asked as she pointed to his arm.

"It's a mini cannon that straps to your wrist. It's multi barreled, so it can fire multiple shells in one shot. Pinkie, I'm giving you two to put on each wrist. This way, you can take out enemies from a distance. Also, when you punch with these, these cannons add a little... boom with each punch," He took off the cannon, and took out another before strapping them to Pinkie's wrist.

"So, I just pull this trigger and-," The cannons fired, and nearly shot Cobalt, but it was blocked by a force deployed by Twilight.

"Nice reaction time Twilight," She smiled as Pinkie looked at her wrists, smiling brightly.

"This is so cool! I can be like 'boom!' and like 'Pow!' to everyone! This will be awesome!" She then glanced at Cobalt who smiled back at her, "Oh, sorry Cobalt."

"Don't be, just... be careful not to shoot us with them," Cobalt then looked at Applejack, "Aj, there's something really cool I wanna give you. Doesn't really match your strength, but it sure does match your tenacity."

"What is it?"

"Look," Cobalt took out a spear that was double ended. Similar to Brisk's Dual-Blade, but it was a spear, "There's this little button that you can press to take apart these spears," Cobalt took the spears apart and twirled them around a bit before putting them back together, "Give them a try," Cobalt tossed the spear to Applejack, who caught it easily.

"So, press this button...," They came apart, and before she knew it, Cobalt ran over to Applejack, preparing to strike her with his halberd, but she blocked it with one of the spears.

"And when you block with one of them, you can strike with the other one, but you can't hesitate. If you do, they'll counter you. We'll work on it, so don't worry about it."

Cobalt stepped back as he looked at Fluttershy, "Now, for you Fluttershy, is a whip," Fluttershy looked on in confusion and said.

"I'm not a sadist Cobalt..."

"T-That's not what I'm getting at. This whip is for someone graceful, not someone... sadistic. Anyway, I know you're extremely graceful when around animals, and you're graceful all on your own. So this whip can stretch to amazing lengths to grapple enemies from far distances. The barbs on the whip are extremely sharp, and are laced with a highly toxic poison. So try it out," He handed Fluttershy the whip, and she smirked.

She extended the whip towards Cobalt, but he dodged it. She continued to do so before it finally grabbed Cobalt, and it pulled him closer to her. She smirked as he came towards her. She puckered her lips, but she waited a little too long for Cobalt to make contact with her lips. She looked up to see Cobalt in the air with a purple aura around her.

She saw Twilight, along with the others frowning at her. She chuckled nervously as a light, pink blush appeared on her face, "Sorry..."

"Anyway, Twilight, you mind healing me from the poison before it takes effect? I'll continue on while you do so," She nodded as she begun the process, "Now, lastly, for you Sunset, I have this special flame bow. I know you excel in fire magic, so I'll allow you to use this flame bow to go with your... burning ferocity. Pun intended."

Sunset scoffed at Cobalt's pun, and took the bow, "Let's see...," She pulled back the arrow, and let it go.

"Don't shoot it-!" Cobalt sighed as the arrow came in contact with the carpet, "inside...," He looked at Sunset which had an "oops" face on it, "Alright, let's put the fire out girls!" They quickly sprung into action as Cobalt watched on in happiness.

 _If this is how life is like after all this bullshit is over, then I'll gladly greet it with open arms..._

-3 days later-

"Cobalt!" Emerald ran in, tears in her eyes. She was clearly out of breath.

"What's wrong? Where's mom and dad?!"

"They're..."

"Please... tell me what happened?"

"I saw it all happen in front of me. I couldn't do anything. Father... knocked me into the river..., and that's when I saw it happen as the current took me away. Our parents are dead Cobalt!"

Cobalt's eyes widened as he heard this news, "They're... what?"

"You heard me Cobalt... they're dead!"

Cobalt eyes let go of Emerald as he continued walking, "Not again... we've lost them. For real this time. They're gone..., and it's all my fault. I should've went with them!" Twilight looked on in surprise at the two siblings who had now lost it.

Emerald ran up to her brother and turned him around, "It was Helios! They betrayed us! We need our revenge!"

"I must do it..."

Twilight shook her head in an attempt to stop Cobalt, "Cobalt, wait... there must be-," But she couldn't.

"Yes, gather everyone here now!"

-1 hour later-

"We are waging war against Helios. They murdered my parents, and I demand retribution against them!"

One of the newer faces, Scarlet Blade stepped up, "No, we can't fight our own ally. They're all we have against Brisk and his army. Besides, waging a war for vengeance will just put more people at risk!"

"You say such a thing, and yet you wish for vengeance against one of Brisk's top generals, am I wrong? Don't give me that bullshit! Besides, they ended they're alliance when they betrayed and murdered my family. The last thing they deserve is mercy..."

"But we can't wage a war on vengeance either way! What you're doing now is vengeance before virtue!"

"Silence yourself. Prepare to march! Helios will pay for what they've done to me and my sister!"

"Cobalt wait...!" Rainbow yelled, causing him to stop, "Give it some thought then. Please, just think about what you're doing. There has to be some logical explanation as to why Helios attacked us."

"If there was an explanation, they would've given us one already. But I'll listen to you and give it some thought. I'll give one tomorrow, but don't expect me to change my mind," And then, Cobalt was off, which brings us to the chapter before.

Cobalt, now angry than ever before, finds out that his sister was murdered by her own soldiers. To add salt to the wound, they fled to Helios. Now, they move to Helios' new capitol: Dewfront. Cobalt leads an army of over 500,000 troops versus Helios' unprepared army of 200,000. Will an army led by a man fueled by vengeance defeat an army that is outnumbered? Or will an army that's prepared for something like this come out on top?


	14. Chapter 14

Cobalt's massive army was already battling Helios and their army. However, Cobalt didn't prepare supplies for this large of an army, and their reserves are running low.

"Someone needs to smack some sense into Cobalt. He's going to get everyone killed, and then we'll never be able to save Rarity," Rainbow said as she sliced through a small group of soldiers.

"Yeah, but the rage Cobalt has right now has to be great indeed. I can only imagine how unstable his head is right now. I just know that the normal Cobalt is still in there, but he's not able to control himself," Sunset looked on in an attempt to find him, bit she couldn't see him, "Uh, where is Cobalt?"

"Huh?"

"I don't see Cobalt anywhere..."

"Giels, go save our allies, and our Cobalt. Prevent him from getting killed."

"I'll find Cobalt," Rainbow said, "I have a feeling on where he's trying to get to. Let's get a move on."

"Do it fast Rainbow. I have prepared a plan once we get Cobalt to safety."

"Don't have to tell me twice about going fast," Rainbow stepped back, and dashed off with amazing speed. The rest of the girls looked at each, and were off, but Twilight stopped Sunset.

"Sunset, you're a key part of the plan. Stay back for a bit, and I'll tell you what I'm up to," She nodded and followed Twilight.

"Now, where are you Cobalt...?" Rainbow continued running around until something caught her eye, "What are those Helios soldiers doing?" Each of then we're carrying torches in hand, and were heading towards their reserve supply depot, "They're planning to burn our reserves! I gotta stop them. Oh, but Cobalt...," Rainbow looked at the soldiers who were moving fast and sighed, "Cobalt's strong, I know he can handle himself. I gotta be quick though..."

Rainbow changed her direction towards the small task force of soldiers. Once she reached their, she concealed herself to launch a surprise attack on the enemy. She saw them get ever so close. She clenched her wing blades as they got closer, "Come on... just a little bit closer...," They stopped right in front of the supply depot.

"Light the fires, we shall burn the enemy supply depot to ashes!"

"Not on my watch!" Rainbow jumped from her hiding spot, catching the soldiers off guard.

"An ambush! Stay calm! We must carry out our- blegh!" The leader was cut in half by Rainbow. Rainbow stopped in surprise at the dead officer, _"I just... killed someone, and yet, I don't feel any remorse. I thought killing was wrong..."_

The other soldiers then backed up in fear, but attempted to stand their ground. This caused Rainbow to sigh as she held one of her blades up, "I'd suggest you run away before you end up like your friend here," The soldiers back up, and ran away, abandoning the fire attack plan, "Whew, alright, time to find Cobalt."

"Rainbow!" She turned to see Applejack running towards her, "'Ah think they found Cobalt!"

"Where?!"

"He's past enemy lines. 'Ah saw him too. Follow me," Applejack ran off, with Rainbow trailing behind. They soon saw Cobalt battling a large group of Helios soldiers, easily taking them out one by one. However, a large group of what could be high-class mystics appeared to the side. They all began chanting in unison.

"They're planning a group barrage!" Rainbow dashed forward, and started gliding across the air. Once the barrage of attacks came towards Cobalt, he glanced at the amount of elemental beams he was seeing. Just as he was about to be hit, it was blocked off by a large barrier. Cobalt looked on in anger.

"Rainbow, what are you doing here?!"

"Trying to stop you from killing yourself! You're getting way out of hand Cobalt. You need to fall back to the main camp."

"No, the nation of Helios will pay for their misdeeds!" Rainbow attempted to grab Cobalt's shoulder, but he knocked her away with the end of his halberd. This knocked Rainbow far off to the side, angering her, "Helios must pay for the death of my loved ones!"

"Knockout!" Rainbow yelled, causing Cobalt to fall face first onto the ground. He was knocked out cold, "Applejack, grab Cobalt, and let's go!"

"Right!" Applejack picked Cobalt, and ran with Rainbow back to the main camp.

"Let's hope this plan of Twilight will get us out of this mess..."

Meanwhile, Pinkie and Fluttershy tried their best to save all the allies that were separated from the main force, "Uh... Pinkie Pie... are you sure this will work?" Fluttershy held Angel in her arms as Pinkie stood next to her.

"I'm sure of it. I mean, didn't you say that you were able to tame Angel when he goes in full on monster mode?"

"Well, turn him into a monster, and let me ride him to victory!" Pinkie pointed towards a large group of officers being overrun by Helios soldiers, "Hurry Fluttershy! I don't know how long they have!"

"Ok," Fluttershy hovered her hand over Angel bunny as he started to slowly twitch and growl ferociously. Fluttershy dropped him as he grew in size a large building.

Pinkie grinned widely as she hopped on Angel's head, "Onward Angel Bunny!" Angel let out a large roar as it began galloping to their allies' aid.

"Is that Pinkie on Angel, and is Angel a monster?" Fluttershy turned to the voice to see Scarlet, and another new face.

"Oh, yes, I made Angel into that monster, and Pinkie is using him to help our allies in need."

"I see..., but I still don't like this battle. A battle merely fought for revenge... does not have its honor..."

It was then one of the new faces spoke. It was a large man. He wielded a duel ended pike, "You may think that, but I believe the same Cobalt his parents told us about is still in there."

Fluttershy nodded, "Oh yes, you're correct. Cobalt does have a tendency to get angry, but I think it's for a good reason. His family was murdered by these people he had thought were going to aid us in our battle against Brisk. Didn't that happen to you Scarlet?"

"I gave up that anger...," Scarlet turned away from them as Fluttershy continued to press the issue.

"And yet despite all that, you would still kill the man that killed your parents?"

"I don't want to kill him for revenge. It's for... my own sense closure..."

"Have you ever stop to consider that's probably what Cobalt is doing? He doesn't stay angry for long. Not even for the first time he thought his mother died. He did get angry, but then he felt sadness. However, street burying his mother, and saving Lapis, I guess he felt closure. He would only get sad after remembering a memory of his mother..."

"This is different rather than an accidental death. His family was murdered, betrayed... it's much didn't then a clone as well..."

"Trust me, once Cobalt sees the error of his ways, he'll go back to his normal self. Possibly even going as far as to punish himself. And doesn't supersedes all the dogma?"

Scarlet stood silent, surprised at Fluttershy's words of wisdom, "Hmph, I am in Cobalt's debt anyway... that man must die either way...," Scarlet walked off, leaving the two behind.

"Let her warm up to everyone Fluttershy. She's lost everything, and this is all she has left. Those were great words of wisdom as well. Maybe you young welps are starting to learn a thing or two."

"Thank you Brute. Cobalt does count on your strength and as a veteran of great ability."

The man, now known as Brute smiled, "Although, I've never expected this type of speech from you Fluttershy. This seems like something Sunset or Twilight would say. What made say such words of wisdom to Scarlet?"

"Well, I've known Cobalt longer, and on a higher scale rather than just a ally. I love Cobalt, that much is true, but to as his friend, I must be understanding of him first."

"I've only known you lot for a few days, snd seeing as how you act with Cobalt and how you act nw makes a world of difference. You girls have matured definitely."

"Thank you...," They soon heard Angel roar in pain.

"I think your pet and Pinkie are in danger. How about we go help them?" Fluttershy nodded as they ran towards Angel and Pinkie to help.

Rainbow and Applejack soon arrived at their fortress with Cobalt in hand, "Twilight, what's our plan?"

"We're not leaving until we get answers, and I think I know how," Twilight paused and smirked, "We burn them?"

"Huh?"

"Look, while Brute, Scarlet, Pinkie and Fluttershy protect the rear guard, we'll feign retreat, causing them to charge us in an attempt to prevent us from retreating. Once we lure them in, Sunset will launch a powerful fire error that engulf the enemy in a fierce blaze, lowering their morale. Once their morale is low, we charge in and capture their commander. That's we get answers on why they betrayed us."

"Will that work?"

"We can hope. Let's execute this plan!"

"You can't leave me out of this...," They turned to see Cobalt walking up, slightly limping.

"Are you still...?"

"Angry, yes. Still willing to make stupid decisions, always. Am I hung to do those stupid decisions, no. I know I was to blinded by rage to even come close to controlling myself. However, that's doesn't mean we can't get answers. I need to know the reason behind their betrayal...," Cobalt paused before looking onto the battlefield, "Let's go, we have no time to waste. Our men are dying, and I'll be damned before lose anymore!"

"Right!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Rarity woke to see herself inside a jail cell. She still had her normal attire, but she was behind bars, "Where am I?"

"Finally awake I see, about time. The Commander would like to speak to you for a moment."

"I don't understand. What's going on?"

"Shut up, and come with me," the jail cell opened, and the man grabbed Rarity. She soon felt her vision blur out before falling back asleep.

Meanwhile, back on the field of battle, they began their plan. Cobalt led the retreat, and he did it well, "There's no reason to fight the losing battle. Everyone retreat!" Cobalt's army began retreating from battle.

"Commander, Cobalt's army is retreating. We shall give pursuit!" A young officer told the Commander of Helios.

"Hm, even with such a large army, an army led by anger just won't stand a chance. Push them, make them regret their decision."

The Helios army began their push. Everything was going exactly as planned.

"Rear guard, protect the retreat!" The rear guard all nodded with Pinkie getting ready to push on top of Angel. Cobalt stopped beside Twilight and smiled at her, "A good strategy can be the turning point to any battle. Is Sunset and her men in position?"

"Yes, we have both fire users, and archers ready to burn the enemy to a crisp."

"Great, she knows when, correct?"

"Right."

Now all they could do was wait. With Cobalt's army all immune to fire thanks to a spell Twilight did, they can easily push through the blaze without hassle.

Sunset got ready in a nearby bush with her bow in hand, along with a large group of soldiers, they were prepared, "Here they come... go!" All of the hidden jumped out to catch the enemy off guard. The shot out embers of fire, along fire arrows to ignite the area.

"If only we had northeastern wind to blow the fire further into enemy territory."

"Did someone say wind?" Sunset looked up to Fluttershy leading a large flock of birds. Both mystical and regular. Fluttershy began whistling to them, and then the birds began flapping their wings. The gusts of wind sent the fire further into the enemy camp.

"No, have we just been dancing to their tune?" The same young soldier asked.

"Hm, this looks like a last minute strategy. They must have a strategist who has years of experience on the battlefield..."

"Cobalt, I didn't think strategy would work. I was second guessing myself at first, but I'm glad it's working...," Twilight sighed in relief as Cobalt chuckled beside her.

"It's not over yet. We still have to make our push. The rest of you let's get moving! The rear guard will catch up to us soon!" Everyone nodded as Cobalt pushed his way through the fire with ease, "Our army will rise against Brisk and Helios. Today is the day!"

Cobalt's army followed behind him as he pushed to the enemy main camp. The Helios Commander surrendered without hassle.

 _They surrendered so easily. He knew that with our surprising strategy, he didn't have a chance. We had managed to capture both him, and his young strategist. He's smart for surrendering a battle he couldn't win. However, if this was over the water, we possibly wouldn't even have come close to winning... Now, we must get answers from them._

"Cobalt, the Commander is ready to speak," Cobalt nodded as he headed towards the enemy commander and his strategist, who were tied up. Twilight followed behind Cobalt, possibly to calm him if he ever got mad.

"Now, I need to know why you betrayed us, and murdered my family."

The Commander was taken off guard at this, "What are you talking about? Is this really what this whole was about?"

"Yes, you betrayed my family when they asked for your help. They were killed, along with some of my men that killed my sister, and fled here. You should know!" Cobalt stepped closer, but Twilight grabbed his shoulder. He calmed himself before continuing, "Why did you betray us?"

"We didn't betray you. We didn't even make it to the battle to help your parents Cobalt. We were stopped by Brisk's men on our way there."

"Huh? Then how do you explain the soldiers dressed as your men," The Commander took time to think, and then his eyes widened.

"Those were Brisk and his men. He attacked our navy, and captured some of our boats. He must've had his men put on our uniform, and attack your parents during their assault. We were coming to help, but we were attacked by Brisk. We probably didn't notice one of our boats being taken..."

"Wait, did Brisk do this in order to pit us against each other?" Cobalt looked at Twilight as she had a worried look on her face.

"Cobalt, we have a problem..."

Meanwhile, Rarity woke up again to be strapped to a chair in a darkened room, "Where am I?"

"Why, you're where my plan will come to fruition," Rarity turned towards the voice. The voice was Brisk.

"What are you doing?! I thought you were going to try and marry me!"

"No, that was just a ploy. I don't plan to marry a skank like you," Rarity grew extremely furious at the derogatory term, "What? Not of fan of that? Ha, doesn't matter. I'm just preparing something on you right now...," Brisk took out a piercing gun, much to Rarity's fear.

"W-What do you plan to do with that?"

"Tagging you... hehehehe," Brisk got closer to Rarity, causing to hyperventilate heavily. Before...

Meanwhile, Cobalt had already untied the Commander of Helios, and were already back in the old capitol building with them, "Brisk played us like a fiddle. He wanted us to destroy each other so that he wouldn't have to worry about any competition. Sneaky bastard..."

"Cobalt, we can't attack him at all yet. We lost over 60% of our troops in that battle, and our morale is just too low. The same goes for Helios," Twilight stated, "If we attempt to attack now, there'd be no chance that we'll come out the victor. The best thing we can do now is wait, and gather up more men. You know, take time to rebuild before attempting to attack again..."

"You're right, but I just can't let Rarity be with that man. How can we rebuild with zero resources?"

"Just give it time... I know Rarity will be fine..."

But little did she know, there was something much more to Brisk taking Rarity as his... "bride".


	15. Chapter 15

Scarlet was seen walking back into the capitol. Her sword in hand, and Twilight waiting on her arrival. She walked past her, but stopped when Twilight said, "I'm surprised to still see you here, even after the discord shown the other day."

"I just had to think about it for a bit..."

-Yesterday-

"Can a world of benevolence be overlooked by hatred and vengeance. The justice and peace that I seek... may not be found here with Cobalt..."

Scarlet rode into the horizon, away from the capitol building, "Where do I go now? I have nowhere else to go...," Scarlet pulled her horse to stop it, "Perhaps I haven't thought this through..."

-Present Day-

"I took some time to recollect yesterday. I knew I had nowhere to go, but I'm just too stubborn. After realizing who Cobalt really was, I just had to comeback."

"I've meant to ask you Scarlet, but how long have you known Cobalt?"

"Well, I only know him a little. I would visit his village a lot since his village specifically specialized in healing."

"Healing? Did you hurt yourself a lot?"

"Yeah, and Cobalt would always be the one to heal me too, and the last time he healed me before he left the village saved me."

"What did he do?"

"I had my whole arm ripped off by a dragon..."

"There's dragons here?"

"Yeah, but they're high up north. One of the nations that are currently under control of Brisk house them. I tried to battle one, and it ended up biting my arm off. I was bleeding out quickly, and my healing factor was going to save me. That was until Cobalt saved me. He made me a new arm and everything..."

"Wow, I didn't know he was good in healing magic. I've never seen him use it..."

"That's because his own healing factor is stronger than the average mystic, yet weaker than Brisk's and Harmony's."

"I see, I never knew that..."

"Cobalt is an interesting person, and I owe him for saving me long ago."

"I see, I just hope we can save Rarity as well..."

"I don't know much about Rarity, but I can tell both you and the others care about her, especially Cobalt. He wouldn't just let her go to Brisk like that. Don't worry, we'll save her..."

The two girls nodded before walking off.

-1 month later-

 _How long has it been since_ _I've_ _seen my friends? Since_ _I've_ _seen my Cobalt?_

 _As each day pass,_ _I_ _begin to wonder if_ _I'm_ _ever_ _going_ _to be saved..._

 _I've_ _been tagged for some odd reason that_ _Brisk_ _won't_ _tell me. Perhaps_ _I'm_ _one of his concubines. To be brought down to such a lowly level by a horrible man._

 _No, he_ _does_ _not deserve to be called a man. I do not wish to be here..., and_ _I_ _can't_ _help but feel that this is my fault._

 _If_ _I had_ _not pestered Cobalt into accepting the duel,_ _I_ _wouldn't_ _be in this situation. I'd still be_ _with_ _my Cobalt_.

 _I'm_ _sorry everyone..._

"Well, it's about that time. Let's begin the bidding!" Brisk walked up with his hands in a cold aura around it

"Bidding?"

"Have you not figured it out? I'm selling you to some other mystic that requires your need. Their reasons are beyond my control."

"You're... running a human trafficking ring?"

"Mystic is the better term."

"This... is just horrible. Why would run this even with your level of prestige?!"

"Do you think these invasions are free?! The more equipment and men that are taken from an invasion, we have to pay for. None of this shit is cheap either. We're mystics for crying out loud! I take mystics, specifically girls, and sell them to mob bosses, Corporate Leaders, or human scientists for experiments."

"You're nuts!"

"Sacrifices are to be made in times of war. A few people are a small price to pay for total domination."

"Cobalt won't let you get away with this... I know he won't!"

"That's not going to happen. I pinned him against his only possible ally, killed his parents, and made him go berserk. They'll kill each other off in months time..."

It was then as he said this, a soldier came running behind him, "Commander, Cobalt is leading an army and will soon arrive here."

"What? Damn it, so he took out Helios. Take her and the other prisoners to the other stronghold on Earth and start the bidding there."

"Yes sir..."

Brisk began walking towards the front of the capitol's exterior walls. He saw over the horizon a massive army lead by Cobalt, "Such a large army..."

A rather noble-looming knight walked up to Brisk to gaze at the massive army, "Commander, their army are filled with mystics of talent and valor. Do you think we can handle such at massive army?"

"That doesn't matter. With you, and many other powerful mystics, we can't lose. Spark, I'm counting on you..."

"Wait, is that a fleet coming over the south?!" Brisk turned around to see on the southern wall, "It's Helios! They're attacking too!"

"What?!" Brisk teleported to see if it was true, and sure enough, it was. A massive naval fleet was arriving from the sea miles from the capitol, "Prepare the defenses, Cobalt prepared for this battle, and he's not going to let up!" Brisk yelled to his men.

It was then a well-decorated strategist walked behind Brisk chuckling, "Brisk..."

"Onyx..."

"If you defeat the armies of both Cobalt and Helios, nothing will stand in your way. You would have realized your family ambitions, and the mystic realm will be yours..."

"No, not quite. My dream has yet to be realized. I do not care about my family anymore. My sister is with Cobalt, and I'm the only one that's left to fend for my family. However, I fight for myself, and only myself. Not only will I capture the mystic realm, but the entire universe!" Brisk then looked at Onyx, "Will you help me in doing so?"

"Of course... my liege...," Onyx slowly bowed before looking up rather devilishly.

"Move to defend! We can't let them past the castle walls!" Brisk ordered around to his soldiers, "Go! They'll be here any minute," He then looked at Cobalt's army on the ground, "No siege weapons? How do you expect to get pass the wall?" He then looked behind him, and sighed, "Thunder! Guard the Northern Gate! Spark, Defend the South Gate! We can't let them past the walls! Got that?!"

"Yes sir!"

Meanwhile, Cobalt gazed at the massive castle wall that separated him, and saving Rarity, "Look at the size of that wall. Getting through that will take some time. Girls, are you ready to save Rarity?"

"Yeah!"

"Good! Everyone, forward!" Cobalt's soldiers charged forward with Cobalt following behind.

On the castle wall, Onyx was giving orders on the North Gate, "Launchers, fire!" A large group of beefy mystics began lifting rocks and throwing them over the wall with tremendous strength, "Archers, release your arrows!" A large barrage of arrows filled the sky, piercing many of Cobalt's soldiers.

"Damn it, we need to get up that wall to take out those archers and launchers. We can't get anything done..."

"Leave it to us Cobalt!" Rainbow, along with a group of other soldiers with wing swords, "We'll get up there to stop them. Just hold out until we take them out."

"Right," Cobalt then looked at Twilight, " Twilight, can you set up a force field around Pinkie and Angel as they try to destroy the wall."

"I'll try my best!" Twilight held her hand up as a large green barrier surrounded Pinkie who was riding Angel again.

"Cobalt, 'Ah don't know how much more our men can take it...," Applejack said as she blocked off multiple arrows, "Can ya' think of something else to ease the arrows?"

"I just can't do much but give orders. Without my powers, I can't do much," Cobalt then looked atop the wall to see a lone mystic standing atop of it, "That can't be who I think it is..."

"Cobalt!" Scarlet yelled as the mystic jumped off the wall, and charged straight for Cobalt. Cobalt looked up as the mystic came ever so closer.

However, the mystic was stopped by both Brute and Applejack. The mystic jumped away from the two. This mystic was extremely buff, even more toned than Cobalt. He looked to be about Brute's size. The mystic wielded a gauntlet blade.

"That's Thunder, a dangerous mystic indeed. Able to strike fear into the hearts of even the most seasoned of veterans," Cobalt looked on as this mystic, now named Thunder, stood before them, "He's much to dangerous to battle one on one..."

Soon, the wall was broken down by Angel, and many of the archers and launchers jumped off the wall.

Thunder attempted to turn around, but was stopped by Brute and Applejack, "Not so fast big guy. Ya' have to deal with us first!"

"Go on Cobalt, we'll deal with youngster. You go save your friend."

"Yeah Cobalt, go on without us! We can handle 'em!"

Reluctantly, Cobalt nodded, "Very well then, be safe you two. I promise your sacrifice will not be in vain!"

"Got, now get a move on!" Cobalt nodded as he charged with the rest of his men into the stronghold.

Brisk watched on as both the North and South Gate were breached, "What are my soldiers doing?! They're letting them through without a fight!" Brisk turned to see a group of mystics behind them, "Take out Cobalt and his group of friends. Don't worry about the peons. Once you take out him and his friends, their morale will fall!"

Lightning stepped forward as the leader and bowed, "We shall complete our duty... Let's go! They all teleported away. This assault will be bloody. People will die..., and yet, they don't even know... that Rarity is no longer in this stronghold...


	16. Chapter 16

Cobalt and his friends traveled through the stronghold's courtyard. Cobalt's men were racing out Brisk's elite army one by one, "Girls, don't worry about the foot soldiers. They'll just waste our time. Let's just head towards the main keep!"

"Right!"

"Not so fast!" A large ball of energy came flying towards them. Cobalt reacted quickly, and cut the ball in half, splitting around him and his friends.

"What was that?!"

"Sorry for doing this, but I gotta stop you guys from going any further. However, I know this going to be fun," Soon, a shirtless, tattooed warrior, stepped out from the shadows wielding a long sword of some sort. Once Scarlett saw this man, she clenched her weapon.

"Who are you?!" Twilight yelled.

"The name's Strikes. As in, I'll strikes you with my blade," Cobalt cringed at that horrible pun, "What? Not a good pun? Yeah... that wasn't a good one..."

Cobalt sighed as he looked at Scarlett gripping her blade ever so tightly.

 _She'll get a cramp doing that. Well, might as well let her loose..._

"Scarlet, you know what to-," Before Cobalt could finish, Scarlett dashed for Strikes head on. She slammed her sword onto the ground as Strikes dodged it with ease.

"Oh, you're Scarlett? You've grown so much since I last seen you..."

Scarlett gritted her teeth as the girls looked on in confusion, "Cobalt, who's that?" Twilight asks.

"Strikes, former assassin, high paid mercenary. Murderer of Scarlett's parents..."

"That's him? Wow, she must have so much anger built up. What should we do?" Rainbow responded. She looked on at Scarlett who was extremely enraged.

"We keep moving. Scarlett, take care of Strikes for us!"

"Don't have to tell me twice," Before she could strike again...

"Scarlett!" She turned around to see Cobalt mouth the words, "Calm... down..., " She nodded and took a deep breath... before nodding back at him. Cobalt gave the thumbs up, and ran off with his friends to continue the assault.

"How were you after I murdered your parents? Oh wait, I remember, you led the rest of your family to kill me and my men only for them to die as well. Ha, are you here to join them?"

"Not a chance, I'm ready for my vengeance..."

"Still controlled by vengeance, huh? Ha, your vengeance is going to get you killed like it did your family..."

"We'll see about that," Scarlett and Strikes dashed towards each other to begin their battle.

Meanwhile, Rarity was being transported with in a large rocketship. She looked at the other prisoners being transported. All of them young girls like her. She looked towards the back of the ship, visualizing the assault.

 _Cobalt... no..._

"Hey, shut it!" One of the guards yelled. Rarity had just spoken out loud, "Don't let me catch you talking again, or I'll toss you off this ship myself!"

Rarity fell silent knowing she did the one thing Cobalt did too much. Speak out loud...

 _Oh Cobalt... how I miss you so..._

Back on the ground, Cobalt and his friends made it through the main keep, until they met large door, and a person waiting in front of it, "Who are you?!"

The person manifested two polearms before walking from the shadows, "My name is Spark, and I'm afraid that I can't let you by here. By the Commander's order, I must prevent you from going any further," Cobalt's friends got ready to fight, but he held his hand up.

"A man with you type of formality shows that you're an honorable knight. I can tell from looking at you that you're not a regular mystic. You're a mystical knight. The highest a knight can get to. Not only that, but you seem so... loyal. Someone who wouldn't backstab the wrong person. Hm, why do you fight for Brisk?"

"Brisk saved me from a dark place. He knew my prowess while others looked down upon me. He took me in to train, and look at where I am today. If I am to be honest with you, it's an honor to be here to see you Cobalt. However, I can't allow you or your friends to pass. I'm sorry, but this is how it has to be."

"No it doesn't. You're on the wrong side. You don't know what Brisk's true intentions are..."

"You're right, I don't, but I owe Brisk, and I have to be loyal to him until I repay my debt to him."

Cobalt tried to speak again, but Rainbow stepped up, "Loyal huh? To the wrong person? There's too many people like you that are blinded by fulfilling someones debt. I understand you're trying to be loyal, and that's awesome! But if you give that loyalty to the wrong person, then you're in for trouble from a lot of people."

"Brisk looked for powerful people that had potential. I was one of those, and I must remain loyal to him."

"Your loyalty is strong, but it should be with someone else. Someone who deserves it... like Cobalt," Rainbow turned around to smile at Cobalt, but turned around back at Spark with a look of determination, "But talk is cheap. I'll just show you with my blades. Maybe afterwards, you'll join us instead of Brisk."

"Hmph, your loyalty to Cobalt matches mine, and you look like a strong opponent. Very well then, I shall accept your challenge," Both of them got ready to duel as Cobalt signaled the others to go on.

"Are you sure you can handle him? He's a powerful knight."

"Nothing is stronger than friendship. Don't worry, I'll handle him Cobalt. Just get going! Go get Rarity!" Cobalt nodded as he followed his friends to open the door.

 _That's 4 of us out of the group now. There's only 5 of us... I only know where this is leading..._

They then arrived in another room similar to the other one. This time, there were multiple paintings on the wall. Each painting of multiple soldiers, before and after images apparently. In the before picture, they were smiling gleefully. In the after, their bodies were mutilated beyond recognition.

They then heard a faint whistling. A light soon shined upon a man behind a large canvas painting away with a large brush. He began speaking between each stroke, "Here I see... 5 individuals... for my greatest masterpiece... yet! Staring... Shining Cobalt himself!" The man flipped the canvas over to reveal them standing in there exact spot, "Now for the aftermath, I must create such an astounding visual!"

The man took his brush, and began painting large blobs in the air that began floating towards them. Cobalt took one step back before signaling for his friends to run from the blobs, "Go!" Cobalt and his friends ran around while the blobs began chasing them.

Fluttershy then turned around, and began whistling a harmonic tune. Soon, multiple birds began manifesting within the rooms, and flew in front of each blob, but were instantly killed when the blobs exploded. Once the bird's lifeless bodies fell onto the ground, the man looked on in surprise, "Oh, such a marvelous piece that I must paint. I shall call it: Broken Wings!"

Fluttershy clenched her whip in rage at how nonchalant this individual was at the murder of these birds. Manifested by magic or not, they were still animals. She yelled, "Who are you?!"

Before he could answer, Cobalt answered for him, "Renowned artist: Gold. Known for his unique paintings of what could end your life."

"H-He... does not deserve to live...," Fluttershy felt enraged, and this caused Gold to chuckled loudly.

"Oh don't frown young lady. A beautiful face like yours shouldn't frown. It'll ruin my beautiful canvas!"

"I'll fill that canvas with your own blood when I'm through with you...," Fluttershy looked at Gold with burning rage in her eyes.

"I'm not going to stop you there. Go get 'em Flutters!"

"With pleasure!" Fluttershy jumped into the air, before coming down gracefully. He whip surrounded her body as she came down, creating a tornado of petals and death.

"How graceful!"

Cobalt looked at his friends and nodded, "Let's leave them to that. Let's go!" They all nodded before continuing on.

Again, they entered a room that was quite elegant. Possibly belonging to a woman of a refined nature, similar to that of Rarity. Only this felt... deadly and dark, "Ohoho! Finally, the great Shining Cobalt has arrived," A curvaceous lady stepped from the shadows. She wielded large claws that looked to be the length of her own arm, "And now, to finally place your head along with the other men that have agreed to be my trophy!" She pointed over to a large trophy case. Within the trophy case were many heads of men that she has killed. Most of them decayed heavily.

Pinkie stepped up, and loaded her cannons, "Listen here toots, I don't want any of those claws on my Cobalt. If you're going to get to him, you'll have to get through me first. Maybe you can join those heads in that trophy case over there."

"My, such an annoying high pitched voice. Hmph, I shall deal with your annoying voice first before him. Let's go partyhead!"

"Bring on Ms. Prissy!"

"The name is Phantasia!"

They both went to battle, much to Cobalt's surprise, "That was rather fast. By the way, that's Phantasia. She's the noblewoman of one of the nations subjugated by Brisk. She has a lot of men that ask for her hand in marriage, but she dislikes men with a passion, so she rejects them before beheading them. She's a dangerous woman."

"I see...," Twilight looked on as Pinkie battled Phantasia with such tenacity. She had never seen this side of Pinkie before.

"Let Pinkie handle her. Let's keep going. I have a feeling we have more rooms to surpass. Besides, I don't know how long Harmony and the twins can keep the assault outside going..."

"Right, let's go...," They ran off with Cobalt thinking to himself.

 _First, Brute and Applejack. Then Scarlet. Then Rainbow. Then Fluttershy..., and now Pinkie. Who's next?_

Cobalt got his answer, "Stop there!" They all stopped in a large library with Onyx waiting, "I see that you're friend there, Twilight Sparkle was it? I heard that you were an excellent strategist. Well, a strategist must be skilled in combat just as much as strategy."

"I'm afraid its foolish to duel me in battle. If you wish to duel me, then I'll fulfill your wish."

"Twilight, that's Onyx. He's the smartest man in the mystic realm. If you're going to duel him, be weary of his crafty movements. He uses a lot of illusion magic."

"Hmph, not a problem. Get going Cobalt, I'll deal with him," Cobalt nodded as he ran off with the only remaining girl, Sunset with him.

"Cobalt, was it smart to let the others fight them like this?"

"They'll be fine. They're all extremely strong, so don't worry about them. I'm just worried about not getting the person we came here for, Rarity. If we find out she's not here, this whole assault will be all for nothing."

"Don't worry, she'll be-," Sunset stopped, and shot an arrow into the ceiling.

"Huh?!"

"Oh, deary Cobalt. It's about time you've arrived!" A woman that looked liked Cobalt's mother landed from the ceiling. Cobalt sighed and looked away.

"Hello Aunt Ruby..."

"Aunt?!"

"Yes, and my nephew Cobalt is all grown up. However, that won't stop me from teaching you a lesson about family."

"I don't need a lesson from the likes of you Ruby! You were exiled from our family for a reason!"

"Hm, and your friend. I've heard a lot about Sunset. She ruled her high school with an iron fist for 3 years. She's beaten into submission, and she's shown forgiveness. Why can't you show me that same forgiveness!" She shot a large fireball at Cobalt, in which he dodged easily.

"Attempting to kill our family to save your own sorry hide takes a lot of forgiving. If you're looking for redemption, surrender yourself. You're all I have left..."

"Aw, that's a lot coming from you!" She multiple fire beams at Cobalt, but each were shot away from one of Sunset's arrows.

"It takes a lot to be forgiven. You think everyone forgave me right away? You have to prove to everyone that you've been rehabilitated. Doing this won't prove anything..."

"Do you know what it's like to be hated by everyone, including your family?!"

"Yes, I know that feeling all too well," Sunset looked down, "I haven't seen my own family in so long. However, that doesn't mean that they're at fault for my previous actions! That was my own selfish fault... If you want forgiveness, you have to earn it! It took me months to earn my own forgiveness, and you have to do the same!"

"I've tried for years, and have yet to achieve forgiveness! But if you insist to stand in my way girl, then you'll just burn along with Cobalt!"

"You must not have known, but I have a fire that burns brighter than your own flames..."

"My fire has the power of the sun."

"The sun is a lump of coal compared to my heat..."

"Sunset...," Cobalt tried to stop her, but he stopped, "I'm counting on you. Don't kill her, please..."

"Don't worry Cobalt, go get that girl!"

He nodded before running off.

 _And then there was one. I expected this. Now there's only one person left for me to take care of... Brisk... here I come..._

Cobalt ran through the halls of the capitol, taking out any foot soldier that he came across. His halberd was getting bloodier by the second. Cobalt knew that without his mystical powers, he would be at a disadvantage against any one he came across. He had no healing factor, no copy ability..., and no last stand. Without anything to enhance his abilities, he'll find himself in a possible grave on this battlefield.

 _What am I to do against Brisk. I barely survived my first duel, let alone the one that got me into this mess. And that was with my powers, without them... I'll probably just end up dying here today..._

Cobalt looked ahead towards the end of the hall. It was a large door, "Is that it?" He began sprinting towards the door. He approached it ever so closely. He burst through it to see Brisk standing with his dual-sword in hand.

Brisk turned around and chuckled, "Ah, Cobalt, it's about time you showed up!"

"Can't you villains say anything else? It's been the same thing each time I enter a new room! Get some new material!" Cobalt jammed his halberd into the ground, causing the room to shake.

"Oh, you want to fight me?"

"Where's Rarity?"

"Ha, that's what you're here for? I thought you were here for redemption. I didn't expect you to be here for her. You must love her a lot."

"She's my friend, and I'll do anything to save her! So where is she?!"

"Well, sorry burst your bubble Cobalt, but she's not here," Cobalt's eyes slowly shot opened as he gritted his teeth, "She's possible already on Earth, and I do believe the bidding has started..."

"Bidding?"

"You still don't know? Oh that's right, you never knew the truth behind this. You see Cobalt, I'm not marrying Rarity, I'm selling her!" Cobalt was speechless when he heard this news. Not only was she not here, but she's close to being sold...

"No..."

"I'm afraid I can't stay here Cobalt. I must attend my own bidding to see who she gets sold to. However, there is someone here to keep you company while I'm gone. Have fun with her...," Brisk teleported away, but Cobalt tried to stop him. However, he was just too slow to catch him.

"Who is she...?"

"Mr. Cobalt...," Cobalt turned around to see Lightning walking up to him. She had new, more extravagant armor that looked light, yet looked heavy in its looks. Kind of contradicting, but that's how it looked. She still used her same twin swords, but her hair was shorter than it was the last time he had saw her.

"Lightning?"

"I hope you enjoyed your time away from that skank Rarity."

"You, you're the reason I'm in this situation. If I had never taken that sword from you, I wouldn't be in this mess!"

"Exactly, this isn't my fault. You took that sword out of your own good nature. If you had still shown at least some type of hostile reaction towards me, you wouldn't have used that sword. That's why I started hating you. You used to give zero-shits about anyone before those girls got here. Ever since they got here, you got soft, and for what reason? You never showed mercy, and you had never lost. Well, before your lost to Brisk. You may be number one now, but that was an obvious fluke. He gave you that win to give you a false sense of security. You were foolish enough to accept his challenge again..."

"I... didn't want to accept it..."

"Oh, was it that skank? Ha, look at how she gives you trouble, and yet, you don't punish her. Again, that's you being soft. Not showing any discipline to anyone. Look at where it got you. Rarity got you killed when you lost that duel. You're... a disgrace to all mystics..."

Cobalt gripped his halberd with a vice grip. He quickly turned around, and slashed the air in front of him, "Cut your bullshit!" A large beam shot from the slash, but Lightning barely dodged it, "If you don't tell me where they're bringing Rarity, I'll make you regret everything that you've ever done!"

Lightning smirked as her swords began to glow red, "This is what I wanted..."

"Hmph, you'll regret your decision...," Cobalt closed his eyes, and opened them again. His pupils lost their color. His eyes were just plain white. His hair began to change color as well. It went from red, to plain white as well. Soon, his veins began protruding from his body, glowing red. They began pulsating, much to Lightning's disgust. Cobalt began to cackle lightly. It was demonic, sending fear through Lightning. On the outside, a thunderstorm began forming over the capitol building.

From a distance on the ship, Rarity saw what was happening, as did the others on the ship.

 _Oh no... that can't be what I think it is... Cobalt... no..._

"What is...?"

Cobalt then began speaking again. Only this time, is was deep, and demonic, "It's about time... you brought me back...," Lightning stepped back in fear, "Now, for your punishment!"

Meanwhile, all of Cobalt's friends began clenching their chests in pain. However, it wasn't only the girls, but everyone in the surrounding area. The capitol started rumbling fiercely, sending everyone into panic.

Lightning couldn't react due to the fear she was having. Due to this, Cobalt grabbed her by the collar, and stared into her eyes. She soon started foaming from the mouth, and her eyes rolled to the back of her head. Cobalt dropped her, and laughed manically, "What a disappointment. I hope your comrades aren't the same," Before Cobalt moved on, he looked at his Halberd, and snapped it in half. He then held his hand above the ground, and a serrated sword appeared from the ground, "Let's go have some fun..."

Cobalt then went into the ground just as he used to do. Only this time, there was dark aura that emanated from him as he did so. No one expected this... Dark Cobalt... has returned...


	17. Chapter 17

As clouds of darkness filled the air, Cobalt made his way back to the front of the Capitol. Bolts of lightning shot around Cobalt as he held his sword up. His blade was soon engulfed in a blaze of darkness before striking down at the ground before him.

Large eruptions of lava filled the ground, along with bolts of lightning destroying both Cobalt's own soldiers, and the Imperial Army soldiers. Applejack and Brute, who were still fighting Thunder, witnessed the destruction first hand. Thunder stepped back, and clicked his tongue, "I do not have time to die here. Not today," The two heroes glanced at Thunder beginning to teleport away, "Someday, we'll settle the score. For now, my deed here is done," Thunder teleported away, leaving the two heroes behind.

"What's going on Applejack? What is this destruction? Is this Brisk's plan? To take out every nation in one fierce blow."

"No... he's back..."

"Who's back?!"

"The evil presence... Cobalt's evil presence..."

"What are you on about?"

Soon, the rest of their friends joined them outside, "Guys, what's going on here?!" Twilight asked in fear.

"What happened to all of ya'?"

"I'm pretty sure we all had to face one of Brisk's soldiers. But what's going on out here?"

The girls looked at each other, and answered, "Before Cobalt left, he sort of had a dark power living within him. We had thought he had beaten it, but I guess all the stress and anger built up over the course of these years brought it back. Although, it's much stronger than it was last time...," Sunset explained, "Maybe the loss of Rarity brought him to this breaking point. Wait, then that means...-,"

"Rarity isn't here...," Twilight finished. They looked down at the ground in true despair. Their friend was still gone, and now, they truly don't have any clue on where she could be.

Brute and Scarlet looked on in pity. The once outgoing friends they knew were now sad, dead people. They knew that if they had found out anything bad had happened to Rarity, then it would affect them so.

They were snapped out of their trance when Cobalt landed behind them, "Cobalt?"

"Hmph, such weak individuals. These peons can't even provide me with a decent challenge!"

"Cobalt, stop this now!" Rainbow yelled, "Enough of this dark persona crap. This won't help Rarity in her time of need! You'll just hinder us!"

"Oh, and you're telling me brute force won't get her back? If we continue to wait for our opportune moment, she'll be gone before we know it! Hell, she already is! The old Cobalt hesitated too much, and Lightning did the right thing to wake up the real Cobalt! The Cobalt that was abandoned when you girls got here!"

Bolts of lightning struck the girls, causing them to jolt back from Cobalt, "So this was the real Cobalt...," Twilight said under her breath. They looked at her as she began walking forward, "I knew that there was something up with you. Something the girls didn't tell me. A dark persona... ha, I can't help but feel that this was your true intention Cobalt. Get one of your friends captured to awaken this demon..."

"You know, I'd applaud Cobalt if he had thought of that, but the last thing he'd do, is hurt any of you. That is what made him weak. Sympathy, Benevolence... blegh, makes me want to vomit just saying those words. The Cobalt all of you knew, as I said before, was weak. Without me, he would be nothing. Even without the powers of a mystic, he still has me, the true embodiment of the devil himself!"

"Rarity wouldn't like this part of you Cobalt. Which is why we don't need you right now," Cobalt paused as he heard this. He looked at Twilight with anger in her eyes as she continued, "When you see yourself going back to your good-,"

"So you're going to abandon your friend?" Cobalt interrupted. They hated to admit it, but they were abandoning a friend. Twilight then responded.

"As of right now, you're not our friend..."

"Twilight!"

"Until you're back to normal, you're not helping anymore..."

"I see, I no longer have any friends...," Cobalt said quietly as his sword began to engulf itself in a fierce blaze, "If I have no friends... I have nothing to lose!" Cobalt dashed forward towards Twilight as godlike speed.

"Cobalt no!" Everyone yelled. They all closed their eyes, only to open them again to see Cobalt's sword pierced through Brute's armor, and through the other side of himself.

"Go! Cobalt isn't going to regret anything now! All of you, go!" They all stared in fear, but nodded. Twilight ran ahead and opened a portal. They all looked back at the two of them as Cobalt kicked Brute to the ground, and ended him by slicing his head off. Twilight gasped, but quickly ran off when Cobalt looked at her.

She yelled before she left, "We won't come back until the old Cobalt is back!"

Cobalt huffed and puffed as he slowly fell to one knee. The storm clouds disappeared as the sun shined through the passing clouds. Cobalt looked up to see Brute's decapitated body, his eyes widened as he stared at his hand. His hand was covered in blood, along with his armor.

"I did this?"

Of course you did this, could you not tell?

"Not you again!

It's your fault Cobalt. If you had only left those girls in Canterlot, none of this would've happened. A simple visit to them would've sufficed, but now, they're stuck wondering where their friends are. Both you and Rarity...

"I won't play your mind games..."

Who says you already haven't? Cobalt, just give into my power. or rather, just use me when you need to. I won't control you, just allow my power to assist you when you need it, huh?

"I..."

Cobalt, I'm really only here to help you save Rarity. I know how you feel about her. Which is why you need to this alone. I made that whole scene in purpose. Mostly, to send you on a spiritual journey.

"Huh?"

I'm not your dark power. I'm something much greater...

"Thanks for confusing everyone..."

Cobalt, you need to take time alone from your friends.

"Wait, so you killed Brute, just to get my friends away from me?"

You need to find your true self. Trust me, just take some time to find yourself. Once you do, you may find your friends again. Don't worry, Twilight and the others can handle finding Rarity for the time being.

"But I can make a world of difference..."

You will only put the others in danger. Please, what you need to do is find your true self by doing what you've been longing to do. What is it that you desire?

"What do I desire... that's easy...," Cobalt looked down, and then back up, "I want Brisk dead...," The voice didn't speak again as Cobalt stood up and looked at his hand.

Very well, then, if that is what you want. Would you like your powers?

"Huh?"

I can give you powers back for a short time. Only until you fulfill your desire.

"...," Cobalt felt his power course through his body as held his hand up, "Gate!" A portal appeared in front of him as it teleported to a mountain. Although, it wasn't the mountain where his village was, but a snowy mountain, "Hm, this should suffice for a few months...," Cobalt looked at the barren wasteland as he looked at his sword, "I guess I'm stuck with you. Let's see what you can do..."

* * *

After a few months of living in the mountains, Cobalt had not aged well while I'm the mountains. Cobalt now had a full beard, and his hair was in an unkempt ponytail. He was basically a mountain man at this point.

As he was in the mountain, he came to one realization, "I can't take Brisk on alone. I need help...," He can't get help from his friends, but he can get help from other people that he trusts.

"My village..."

 _Since my village was rebuilt, the_ _once_ _missing villagers retuned. Now that_ _I_ _have people on my_ _side_ _,_ _I_ _may just have a chance to assassinate Brisk, and_ _end_ _his reign of tyranny once and for all..._

Cobalt opened a portal to the mountain of his village, but was shocked to see it, once again, destroyed. This time, there really was nothing left to build from.

There were dead bodies everywhere. Dead animals, and the houses were just nowhere to be seen. It didn't look like it was accidental either. His village was attacked.

Cobalt looked around continuously for any survivors. He saw a body move slowly, and he rushed to its aid, "Hey! Are you alright?! Did you see what happened here?!" He turned the body over to see a raccoon moving it, "Damn it..."

"Cobalt?" An all too familiar voice answered. Cobalt clenched his sword as he stood up, "What are you doing here?"

"..."

"Cobalt..."

"What happened here?"

"I'm sorry Cobalt. We had tried to get help from your village, but as soon as they heard about us abandoning you, they attacked. We never thought the people of your village was so strong. We had no choice..."

"Shut it. This is my fault. I changed, and that's why this has all happened."

"We didn't want to fight back, but Brisk gave us the order..."

"So you're working for Brisk now? First you abandon me, and then you run to the enemy, betraying me in the process? No matter, it's not like I have anything to lose now," Cobalt turned around, and held his sword in the air.

"Cobalt!" The person behind the voice... was Rainbow.

"Nothing matters anymore... I'm already... dead inside...," Cobalt dashed forward in an attempt to attack Rainbow, but she dodged it, "Using your speed huh? No matter, speed can't help your reaction time..."

Cobalt stabbed his sword into the ground as multiple eruptions filled the ground. Rainbow tried her best to dodge each eruption, but she knew she couldn't forever.

Meanwhile, from afar, Twilight and the gang were looking around at the destruction until Twilight noticed that Rainbow was missing, "Where's Rainbow? We need to leave..."

She was answered when one of the eruptions rose into the air near them, "What did you do this time Rainbow?" Twilight sighed as she looked at her friends, "Scarlet, you head out and get the plan ready."

"Right!" Scarlet ran off further into the mountain.

"Rest of you, on me!" The girls nodded as they started to follow Twilight towards the explosions.

"Come on Rainbow, you have to be more skilled than that!" Cobalt continued his attack on Rainbow. All the while she attempted to talk sense into him. She didn't want to hut him. Actually, she doesn't think she can.

She just can't bring herself to hurt him. Yes, she would like to punch him, but only as a joke, not intentionally. Rainbow felt the fatigue hit her as she stumbled on her feet. She fell to the ground, and saw Cobalt slowly walk towards her, _"Just great, I'm gonna die to the guy I lost my virginity to...,"_ Rainbow shut her eyes to prepare for the inevitable. But before she could feel her head get lobbed off, Cobalt jumped behind her as a beam flew over her head, "Huh?!"

"Rainbow!"

Rainbow saw her friends approach her to help her up from the ground, "What are all of you doing here?"

"Trying to not get you killed. What's going on?"

"Take a look," Pointed over at Cobalt. The girls were shocked to see how much Cobalt had changed. His full beard and everything made them somewhat queasy.

"Is that... Cobalt?"

"Just look at him. His facial features are there, but he just has his beard..., and his hair is unkempt... and blue?"

"He got his powers back? But how?"

Cobalt looked at them with dead eyes. They had no idea what he could do next, "So all of you are working with my arch rival? Hmph, I should've expected that much from all of you. I mean, you don't trust me anymore, so what's the point? I have nothing to lose. Especially not any friends...," Cobalt dug his foot into the ground, and dashed forward towards them.

Cobalt spun around as a vortex of fire surrounded him. The sparks of the flame came into the contact with the girls, and to their surprise, they hadn't felt that kind of burn ever.

"Why does it burn so much?!" Rainbow yelled in agony.

"My heat matches that of the sun!" Cobalt jabbed his sword into the ground, causing more eruptions, "I will burn you all to a crisp!"

"Lightning and fire! Choose one Cobalt!" Rainbow jumped into the air, and spun around, creating a massive tornado.

"Ha, I remember this...," Cobalt smled, but he shook his head as he dodged the tornado.

"Girls, did you see that?" Sunset asked, they all nodded.

Twilight smiled at the sight, "Our Cobalt is still in there. He remembers the fun times we had. However, he is our enemy now. and we can't allow him to ruin our plans. Let's go girls!"

"Right!"

They all charged at Cobalt at the same time, causing him to stand his ground. Rainbow was the first to strike, but she failed in her attack as Cobalt knocked her wing blades away, and kicked her in her sternum. The force of the kick sent into the ground with a large explosion

Applejack attempted to attack next, but Cobalt easily blocked her spear. She took them apart, and tried to hit him with the other end, but Cobalt grabbed both ends of her spear before tossing her into the air.

Cobalt dragged his blade across the ground, casing it to ignite ever so slightly before throwing at Applejack. She had managed to block, but the force behind the throw was breaking her grip on her weapon.

What she didn't see, was Cobalt jumping towards her to fully release her guard. Cobalt followed up the guard break with multiple kicks to her chest. Cobalt kicked at such astonishing speed, that his legs seemed to have disappeared.

Cobalt landed in front of Fluttershy, and glared at her, causing to step back slowly to hide behind Pinkie, "Don't worry Fluttershy. Your Auntie Pinkie Pie will handle this!" Pinkie jumped up towards Cobalt to fight him, all the while Fluttershy sighed.

"I'm a year older than you..."

Pinkie delivered many explosive blows, no pun intended, at Cobalt. However, Cobalt stood his ground against each punch. Pinkie jumped back, and jerked her wrist before, "Bangbangbangbang!" Pinkie fired her cannons as if they were machine guns at Cobalt.

Cobalt smirked at this, "Tch, duplicate!" Multiple copies of Cobalt appeared before the cannon pellets.

"I thought you couldn't use that Cobalt!"

"You learn things when you're alone..."

Pinkie could've sworn Cobalt was in front of her, but his came from behind her. She waited for the smoke from the cannons to dissipate to see all the copies gone, "I killed him! And now he's a ghost wanting revenge on me!"

"Hehe, no Pinkie, I'm just behind you," Pinkie turned around to be met with a fist in her gut. The force from the punch sent her flying into a tree, knocking the roots out the ground, and tipping it over, "Like I said Pinkie, I adore your eccentric personality," As Cobalt said this. he grabbed his head in pain, "Agh!"

Twilight caught this again and nodded, "Girls, quit trying to attack one by one! Attack him all together!"

"Twilight, I don't think they can get up. Well apart from Fluttershy, but she's too scared to move. It's up to us. We can attack her together. We have the range, so let's see if we can hit him with a combo attack."

"Alright," Twilight charged up her war fan, and Sunset got a volley of arrows ready. Sunset aimed at the sky, and Twilight was ready to fire her massive beam. They both nodded as Sunset fired off an army's worthy volley, and Twilight fired a massive beam of light at Cobalt.

Cobalt stood still with no emotion, and held his hand up, "Reverse...," The beam shot back at Twilight, and Cobalt looked up at the volley, "Freeze...," The arrows froze in midair, much to Sunset's surprise. Then she noticed the massive beam heading back towards Twilight.

"Twilight, watch out!" Sunset pushed Twilight and took the hit from the beam. The beam burned most of her armor off, and she felt some of her skin melt off.

Sunset fell onto the ground unconscious, and wounded severely. Twilight ran over to her in fear, "Heal!" Soon afterwards, all of Sunset's wounds were healed, but she was still unconscious.

Due to her healing Sunset, she didn't see Cobalt in the air, spinning down towards her. Twilight had managed to dodge the attack, but Cobalt spun his blade towards her, casing a fiery vortex to surround her.

Twilight yelled in pure agony as the vortex surrounded her. Cobalt watched on as he looked at his friends, all laid out in front of him, "How disappointing. Did all my teachings go to waste on the 6 of you?"

Rainbow stood up slowly, only to collapse back onto a tree, "Even with the 6 of us, we can't beat him. Is this his true strength..."

Fluttershy peaked out from behind a tree to bear witness to the situation, "Cobalt...," She took a deep breath and stretched out her whip at astonishing speed. Cobalt didn't prepare for this speed. He was entangled by Fluttershy's whip, and then she said, "Unbreakable!" The whip soon glowed a gold aura as Fluttershy let it go, "That's enough Cobalt..."

"Unbreakable spell. Smart...," Cobalt accepted his defeat as Fluttershy looked around at her friends.

"Unity...," Fluttershy said quietly as she twirled around like a ballerina. A green aura formed around her graceful dancing as her friends' wounds began to heal themselves slowly.

They all surrounded Cobalt as he looked away from them, "Do what you will with me..."

"Really!" Rainbow said in excitement. Knowing what she meant, Applejack punched her arm, "Ow, right..."

"Go ahead, do it. I am ready to die...," They all stared at him with sympathy. They never expected Cobalt to willingly give up like that. Just as Twilight was about to say something, Scarlet arrived behind them.

"The attack begins now. Let's go, huh? Cobalt?" Scarlet stared at Cobalt who was now captured.

"No time to explain, Scarlet. Let's get going..."

"R-Right...," Scarlet opened a portal which seemed like it was a whole other world..., or more so looked like it.

"Japan?"

"Let's go everyone! This is our one chance to find Rarity!"

"Yeah!" They all entered the portal, only after glancing at Cobalt who stared at them back as they left.

"That looked like Japan. One of Brisk's safe havens are there. I know what to do. Manifest: Plasma Sniper...," A weird, alien-like weapon appeared in Cobalt's hand as he held his hand up, "Gate...," The portal opened to another wooded area, "Hm, I think I have plenty of bullets for this gun, but for you Brisk... I only need one..."


	18. Chapter 18(Finale)

Cobalt laid down along side the roof of a Japanese village. He laid down, staring at the stars in the process, "The night is young, yet it grows in beauty. A perfect night for an assassination," He turned to see an army marching their way to the village he was in, "And so the attack begins. I'll wait for my time to come, and when it does, Brisk will feel the sensation of a plasma bullet flying straight through his heart."

 _Plasma is a substance_ _that's_ _lethal to everyone, especially mystics. It destroys the_ _body from_ _within, killing them slowly. If a plasma bullet pierces the heart,_ _it's_ _an instant death. If I shoot Brisk in his heart,_ _he'll_ _die instantly._

Time passed as he saw the village burn in a fierce blaze, "What good would burning the village do? All this needless this destruction must come to an end, and it'll end once I kill Brisk. Wait...," Cobalt saw Brisk running into the middle of a fiery circle. He saw his friends surrounding him, with Twilight leading the charge.

"Don't tell me they're planning to try and do what they tried on me?" They all charged Brisk, casing Cobalt to sigh, "Yeah... they are. Come on Twilight. What in the world are you doing? Without me, they're worthless. Have my teachings done nothing to them... well, they did learn mystical powers. And in record time at that."

Cobalt watched on, gazing at the girls battling Brisk amongst the fierce blaze, "A group of humans who had no idea mystics like us existed can surpass even the strongest of mystics. Perhaps my teachings did do something. No matter, I can't have them die to that man...," Cobalt loaded his rifle, and pointed it at Brisk's heart, "Get ready to die... Brisk," He waited for a clear shot. And that shot came when Brisk came into a deadlock with Twilight. As Cobalt saw this moment, he pulled the trigger..., and BAM!

However, as Cobalt pulled the trigger, a memory triggered itself in Cobalt's mind. A memory from her was only 10 years old.

* * *

-14 years ago-

Cobalt sat along side a hill. The sun setting over the horizon, a nice cool breeze, and he sat between his sister's legs, leaning back enough for her to stroke his hair. Beside him, were his friends during that time. A young Harmony and Brisk.

Brisk turned to Cobalt and asked, "Hey Cobalt, is there something that you desire in the world?"

"Something I desire?"

"Yeah, my sis and I talked about things that we desire. You know my desire: To continue my family's legacy."

"Yeah, and what about you Harmony?"

Harmony blushed, and looked away from Cobalt, "None of your business. You should never ask a girl that Cobalt..."

"Huh?" Emerald flicked the back of her brother's head, causing him to turn to her, "What was that for?"

"Don't ask a girl for her secrets. Haven't mom and I taught you better than to do that?"

"Fine..."

"And you Cobalt?"

"Well, I've never desired anything. I mean, you get the thing that you desire, and then what?"

"You're right..."

"Exactly, what do you do when you fulfill your one true desire?"

* * *

-Present day-

The bullet pierced through Brisk's heart, causing him to slowly drop dead. His lifeless laid in front of him as Twilight looked around.

All the while looked on in surprise, "What do I desire? That's easy. I just wanted Brisk dead. Now that he is, what do I do? What does anyone do in this situation?"

Twilight looked around, and saw Cobalt. She gritted her teeth, and signaled everyone to capture Cobalt.

Cobalt caught this, and clicked his tongue, "Damn it...," He slid off the roof, and began running. He ran, and ran, and ran... until her couldn't run anymore.

Cobalt collapsed for air near a pond. He glanced at his reflection, and saw what he had become. A psychopath...

"No, this isn't me... I've lost the true reason for this... Rarity... I'm sorry... I've failed you...," He then took a second glance at his reflection, and looked on in confusion, "Blue hair? I shouldn't have blue hair. I fulfilled my desire... unless...," Before Cobalt could come to a conclusion, an arrow came flying towards his face. He moved his head slightly to narrowly dodge the arrow. He saw multiple archers led by Sunset.

"Capture him!"

Cobalt jumped up, and took a deep breath, "Conceal...," Cobalt disappeared, and looked back into the reflection.

Sunset looked around, and sighed in frustration, "Spread out, and find him!"

Cobalt took his sword, and held it along his ponytail. With one quick slice, the ponytail fell off. He looked at his beard, and slowly began hacking it away. With no shaving cream, he would just have to endure the pain.

Slowly, his beard came off, and once it was off, he began running again. However, he felt himself slow down. he felt kind of nauseous. Like he was drunk. He looked in front of him, but although it was blurry, he could make out the figure, "Flutter...shy?" Cobalt collapsed, and soon fainting.

* * *

-A few hours later-

Cobalt awoke in a small cabin of some sort. He looked around as his vision fixated itself, "Huh? Where am I?"

"I'm glad to see you awake Cobalt..."

Cobalt looked on to see Fluttershy smiling at him. Cobalt couldn't help but hate himself when he saw her. He jolted up, and turned away from her, "Shut up. Glad to see me awake? What kind of nonsense is that?! I killed the only source you had to find Rarity! I'm the one you wanna kill!"

"Yes, you did do that, and we are angry at you for doing so. However, we can't stay mad at you forever. We could only imagine what was going through your head over the last few months. Either way, killing you won't help us find Rarity!" Fluttershy grabbed Cobalt's collar, and collapsed into his arms, "Killing you? We would never think of such a thing... you mean too much to us Cobalt for us to kill you. And the same goes with Rarity..."

"Then... why am I here?"

"Cobalt, we know where Rarity is."

"You do?"

"You may not believe this, but this whole thing, was planned out by Harmony..."

"Huh?"

"The duels, your altercation with Lightning, even Rarity's capture... it was all her doing. She worked under the shadows. We only found out recently when Thunder, one of Brisk's officers, told us. It was a malicious plan to get us out of the picture."

"Why?"

"She wanted you Cobalt. She stopped at nothing to make sure this plan came to fruition."

"No, that can't be..."

"Yes, haven't you noticed how she's looked at us during our time at the beach."

"Hm..."

 _Now that I think about it, every time the girls would get affectionate with me, she would ball her hands into a fist in an attempt to prevent herself from doing something I guess. Actually, we had a conversation when I called off our wedding._

* * *

-A few months ago-

"Cobalt sweetie, which dress would be better? This one..., or this one?" Harmony held up two wedding dresses as Cobalt was reading a letter, "What's that?"

"Harmony... we have to call off the wedding."

Harmony dropped the dresses in shock as she stared at Cobalt, "W-Why...?"

"My friends... just got accepted into Starlight...," Harmony stepped back towards the wall, a shocked expression on her face, "I'm sorry Harmony. You remember our deal though. I never expected them to be accepted at this time..."

"N-No... as your childhood friend... I can't keep you like this from your friends," Harmony then put her hands against the wall, and began scratching slightly, "However, I will make sure you'll be mine...," Harmony said this under her breath, and Cobalt didn't catch it.

"Huh?"

"Oh nothing. I'm just happy for you and your friends..."

"So, you're not mad about this, right?"

"No, I mean, we still have time before they arrive, right?" Harmony inched herself closer to Cobalt as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I guess..."

"Then let's have some fun before she arrive...," Harmony placed her lips on Cobalt, and sent both of them to the floor.

* * *

-Present Day-

 _Huh, how could I not see that she was a yandere. Makes you think about it though. Why didn't she take matters into her own hands, rather having all this shit happen? How could I not see this? Was it because of my hatred towards her brother?_

"Probably...," Cobalt looked at Fluttershy, and sighed, "Sorry, you were just speaking out loud again..."

"Well, that's the usual. However, what do you expect me to do?"

"One last time Cobalt..."

Cobalt looked on in confusion, and smiled, "I don't think having sex would do anything to help Rarity right now..."

"Not that! I mean, I wouldn't mind if you would, but we would be wasting time! Anyway, we're asking you help us in this final battle. All we have to do is attack Harmony, and save Rarity from her clutches."

"But what about the bidding?"

"She won Rarity Cobalt. Obviously..."

"W-What? You act like I'm suppose to know that..."

"I mean, we wouldn't be attacking her if she didn't have her..."

"Fluttershy, get back into character..."

"Fine... yay?"

"Close enough. Look, I'll help. But only this one time. I'll help all of you..."

"Great!" Fluttershy hugged Cobalt fiercely, much to Cobalt's surprise. She waited for him to return the hug, and he soon did, but he shook his arms as he hugged her back. This caused her to have a little fear, but she was happy to know that Cobalt was somewhat normal. No beard..., and shorter hair...

 _Harmony... you've made my friends suffer so much. I thought you were my friend... my childhood friend. Quite cliché, but what can you do. She's done so much... taken so much. She must pay for her sins. However, I don't think I can bring myself to kill her. Can I do it?_

* * *

Fluttershy waited for Cobalt to dress properly for the battle before heading off to meet the others. Fluttershy waited outside their little cabin as he was talking to her, "So, where is Rarity?"

"She's back at the school. She's using some of the students in battle. It's..."

"Crazy?"

"Yes..."

"Hm, I always knew she had a crush on me. I just didn't think it grew this badly. To the point of killing my friends, or attempting to at least."

"I still can't believe she planned this all from the beginning."

"She probably planned this when I told her that I was trying to get all of you here. She probably stayed up as much as I did to get this plan done."

"Cobalt, you had no idea, didn't you?"

"Of course, I was too busy trying to get you girls here to notice. However, we can't let her get away with this. She'll have to be imprisoned, but I'm afraid that all of you would want to execute her..."

"Uh..., no. We don't want that. We understand what she's going through. Someone she loves is after another girl, or girls. I believe that's what brought her to her breaking point. Cobalt, we know..."

"Wow, you girls are a really forgiving bunch...," The two laughed as they continued their conversation, "What do you expect me to do?"

"Well, you do what you do best Cobalt. Strategies, and kick some ass..."

"Whoa, language. This is a PG show..."

"You're gonna say that after our... ahem... time on the beach?"

"Point taken, but yeah. I can do that," The door to the cabin to reveal Cobalt's, simple, yet cool armor. It was mostly light cloth, but there was an armor plate along the upper body. Cobalt had a headband on as well.

"You look nice..."

"With what I had, I think I did a good job. However, I'm going to miss my ponytail. I grew that out for years, and now it's gone."

"How long does it take to grow?"

"Well to get it to what it looked like... about 3 years?"

"Wow..."

"And that beard only took a few months..."

"That beard made you look like a mountain man."

"Yeah, I know, but I kind of miss it. Anyway, shall we get going?"

"Yes, Twilight and the others are waiting," Fluttershy grabbed Cobalt's hand before opening a portal.

"I'm so proud of you girls..."

"Huh?"

"You girls came to the mystic realm not knowing a single thing about mystics. Now you're just as good as a few of the realm's strongest mystics."

"Wow..."

"Yeah, it makes me happy...," Cobalt smiled genuinely for the first time in who knows how long, "Let's get going, it's best not to keep them waiting, but first," Cobalt looked at his hand, and said, "Manifest: Dragon Spear!" A spear with a blade at the end met with blue dragon hair appeared in Cobalt's hand, "Now let's go," They walked through together, hand in hand...

"What about your sword?"

"Uh, I'll stick to polearms if you please. Swords just aren't my thing. Come on," He led her through the portal, both smiling at one another.

Once they were through, they were met with beaming eyes from the others. They realized they were still holding hands with one another, "Hold on a second, this isn't what it-," Before Cobalt could finish, he was grabbed instantly for a group hug from everyone. Well, everyone except Twilight, Scarlet, and... Thunder?

Twilight walked up slowly towards the group hug. She held her fan, and possibly tears of joy. The girls opened up, and Cobalt smiled at her, "There's still room for one more you idiot...," Twilight smiled as she tackled him for a hug.

"I'm glad you're back. I'm sorry for everything that's happened to you and your village...," If Cobalt could, he would rub her head, "Cobalt... I'm sorry..."

"It's fine. I now know that I wasn't the same person..., so I hope you can forgive all my past actions. I killed Brute, hindered your plans. I even hurt, and nearly killed all of you. If anything, I don't deserve your forgiveness...," Twilight gripped him harder, and took off her glasses.

"Cobalt, that's the last thing we should all do. I'm pretty sure you can see that. We... care about you too much to do that. The same goes for Rarity. I know for sure that she's waiting for you to save her. She's waited for too long... it's time we save her."

Cobalt smiled as he looked at Thunder, "And you Thunder? Why did you join us?"

"With Brisk dead, I could finally leave his rule. I couldn't leave his rule due to the foothold he had against my family."

"So, he forced you to join his army?"

"Correct, I may be a strong mystic, but I'm not a monster. I had to perform each task he had given me with the utmost perfection, or he would torture my parents. Now that he's dead, my parents were freed, and I was able to live with them in peace. When I found out that you were the one that had killed him, I knew I owed you a debt of gratitude. This will fulfill it. I will help you get your friend back Cobalt."

"Thank you so much. I wish you and your family the best of wishes."

"It is an honor to hear that from you..."

"Wait, what are we up against?" Cobalt asked. Twilight waved him over to a tower that overlooked the battlefield. The battlefield were the school grounds.

"The battlefield is small, but we can make do with it. Right now, Harmony has the whole school, along with the twins helping her."

"Hmph, that will be quite the problem..."

"To add to it, some of Brisk's former officers have joined."

"So, you mean like Lightning, Phantasia etc."

"Correct."

"Hm, they must be wanting to kill all of you as they know you'll be here. Don't worry, we can do this. Judging by her formation, she's planning to hold out until we use all of our provisions. Perhaps we can break their formation."

"How?" Cobalt looked towards the city, and nodded, "There are cannons in the city that are used against invaders. They haven't been in use for years, but they still work. Thunder, you know how to use them, right?"

"Well, yes, but won't you think they'll be guarded."

"They might try to use them against us. It's best we take them before they do. Thunder, you and Applejack will go take those cannons. Take a small group of soldiers with you so you won't be outnumbered. Twilight, until then, send in an assault team in an attempt to break through their defenses. Meanwhile, stand your ground until I give the signal. We can't make any hasty actions," Cobalt looked on at the main school building, and closed his eyes.

 _Don't worry Rarity. I'll be there soon. Just hold on..._

Cobalt looked back down at the small army ahead of him, "Everyone, I must thank you for joining us in this final battle! This battle shall end all the chaos that plagues not only the mystic realm, but all other realms! Please, I ask of all you to lend your strength just one last time!"

The crowd of soldiers all answered with battle cry, making Cobalt smile. He then looked at his spear, and then towards the main building once again.

 _Harmony... everything you had planned... will now be all for nothing..._

Thunder and Applejack waved off before teleporting to the cannons, "Let them handle that. Twilight, is that vanguard ready?"

"Yes, I have sent them out now. They're being led by Sunset."

"Alright, Pinkie, do you think you can lead a demo team to take out the enemy supply depot?"

"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie ran off, but stopped in midair.

"You don't know where it is, do you?"

"Nope!"

"Well, I don't either. My best guess would be the cafeteria. However, if they would hide it in plain sight, they would guard it with their elite soldiers. It's best if you get some extra help for this."

"I'll go with her," Fluttershy answered.

"Alright, Rainbow, Twilight, the two of you stay back here, and be the rear guard."

"What?! Come on Cobalt, let me be on the frontline assault team!" Rainbow protested.

"No, that's much too dangerous. Harmony will try whatever she can to stop us from saving Rarity..."

Rainbow was about to say something, but she just smiled, "Alright fine. Geez, you've changed us so much Cobalt."

"I didn't really try, but I guess I did. Either way, I'm glad that all of you are still with me, even after everything that has happened. Thank you..."

"Dude," Rainbow wrapped her arm around Cobalt, and smiled, "you're too awesome to leave alone. Like, you're a mystic, and the strongest at that."

"Yeah?"

"What?"

"Nothing...," Cobalt expected her to say more, but she's already poured her heart out for him previously. All Cobalt could do, was smile as he felt his hair, "I've changed a lot too. My hair, my beard... my personality..."

Rainbow lightly punched Cobalt's chest as she said, "Dude, you haven't changed a bit. You're still that loving, caring guy that will do anything for his friends. Even play along with their little plan of taking your virginity that was already taken."

"Hehe, I guess so. Cobalt then looked on ahead and sighed, "All we can do now... is wait."

* * *

Meanwhile, Thunder and Applejack made their way to the cannons. It actually wasn't guarded at all. Or so it seemed, "So, are they just going to let us have 'em?" Applejack questioned.

"Maybe they're planning to ambush us," Thunder looked back towards their small band of soldiers, "Keep you're guard up. We don't know what Harmony could be planning right now..."

They carefully moved closer to the cannon, and Thunder looked around, "Alright, Applejack, watch out for any ambush troops. I'll start the cannon fire," Thunder looked inside the control room for the cannons, and stepped in. He closed the door behind him, and Applejack prepared to defend, along with the troops they had with them.

Meanwhile, the assault team witnessed the massive defensive unit guarding the school entrance, "Wow, how will we push through that? I don't even think using a fire attack can cause them to panic. It looks like they're prepared for a fire attack. However, it doesn't seem like they're prepared for a flood attack," Sunset turned towards her assault unit, and nodded, "I need all of you to bring the attention to yourselves. I have a way to get through their defenses."

Her soldiers nodded as she teleported away into the ground, similar to how Cobalt does it.

* * *

And with Pinkie, she had the cafeteria in her sights, "There we are. Let's get this going Fluttershy. We can't use Angel here, so we're just going to have to use brute force," Pinkie looked at her cannons, and nodded, "I'm quite surprised we were able to teleport to this area without any problems."

"Let's do this Pinkie Pie...," Pinkie Pie nodded as she jumped out into the open, and started to fire into the guards in the cafeteria.

"Whoo-hoo!"

"Pinkie Pie... oh never mind...," Fluttershy joined in the assault, and helped her with taking care of the guards.

* * *

Back at main camp, Cobalt looked at the battlefield. The assault team, and... Sunset running off, "What is she doing?" Twilight looked on as well, and thought the same thing.

"What is...?"

"She's going to the cliff...," It then clicked, "Flood attack..."

"Huh?"

"Since the school is surrounded by cliffs, it's susceptible floods. A poor design by the builders. She's planning to flood the school out. Wait, Pinkie and Fluttershy are still inside! Rarity could be in there too!"

"What?!"

"And the cannons would be rendered useless through the water. We gotta stop her..."

"Looks like we need something..., or _someone_ fast to stop her. Luckily, you have the fastest person on this battlefield!" Rainbow said pridefully behind them.

"So Twilight, who should we use?"

"I can teleport to her to stop her..."

"Hey!" Rainbow did not appreciate being ignored, and attempted to hit them. However, like before, both of them activated their force fields, throwing Rainbow back, "Ow!"

Twilight and Cobalt looked at each other before chuckling at each other, "Alright Rainbow, go on and stop her. We can't let her start a flood with our allies still in the area," Rainbow nodded as she ran off at astonishing speed.

Twilight nudged Cobalt, causing him to chuckle, "How does it feel to be doing this again?"

"To be honest, I want all this war and blood to come to an end. I just want a place where people can be happy. A place where no one has to worry about the bloodshed. That was my first dream when I first arrived here at the mystic realm."

Twilight turned to Cobalt, a questioning look on her face, "Did you think... that you could do this alone?"

"I thought I could. However, in reality, no one can ever do anything alone. No matter their power or intellectual superiority. People rely on others, that's part of nature..."

"Yes, you're right. However, what would you do... after this is all over. Once Harmony is defeated, surely the school would close down."

"Maybe I'll take my leave from the Imperial Army. You know what? I like how I mentioned the Imperial Army, and yet, that never really played any sort of role in this story. I find that funny..."

"Sometimes, you confuse me Cobalt."

"Yeah... it's sort of my job...," The two laughed at each other as they stared at each other. Cobalt smiled as he spoke, "You've opened up a lot since we met Twilight. Now Princess Twilight instantly made me her friend. I guess I covered that. You were suspicious of me, but that turned around quickly. What? Are you head over heels for me now?"

"Uh, can we not talk about that...?"

"I don't know, you're the only girl that hasn't really been clear with their feelings."

"Maybe it's because... I've already shown them..."

"Ha, so you do love me?"

"Uh... Let's focus on the battle at hand..."

"Very well then..."

* * *

Back with Applejack and Brute, "'Ah don't know about this Brute. Let's speed this up..."

"We can't leave. We have to make sure they don't take the cannons."

"Are ya' sure?"

"Oh he's sure alright," Applejack and her men prepared themselves after the mysterious voices spoke. However, the voices sounded all too familiar.

"Prepare for trouble..."

"And make it double..."

"To protect the world from devastation..."

"To unite the people within our nation..."

To denounce the evils of truth and love..."

"To extend our reach to the stars above..."

"Midnight..."

"Silver..."

"The twins blast off at the speed of light."

"Surrender now or prepare to-."

"Enough of that... jeez, we could get copyrighted..."

"Oh hush, you know that was funny. Besides, we have a job here. We're not going to let any of you take Cobalt away from us."

"We won't let all of ya' do the same..."

The three stared into each other's eyes. A fire of determination within each of their eyes.

* * *

Back at the cafeteria, Pinkie and Fluttershy had just finished off the guards, before Pinkie stiffened up, "My Pinkie Senses are tingling. There's 2 more...," Pinkie pointed her cannons towards the corner of the room.

Each cannon fired it was blocked off by large balls of ink, "We have some company Fluttershy..."

Fluttershy gripped her whip fiercely as Gold stepped out. Again, he was carrying a canvas, "Hm, such the gore and death in this room. A perfect masterpiece for my collection. However, there is something missing... perhaps a little yellow... with a touch of light pink," Gold stared at Fluttershy as he said this, "Oh, and Pinkie dear, I won't keep you out the picture either. Phantasia!" Gold gleefully sung.

Large claws came barreling down above Pinkie, for which she dodged. Phantasia jumped from the ground, and looked at Pinkie, "It's time I finished what I started with you..."

"I've been waiting for this...," Pinkie dashed forward, firing her cannons, and sending Phantasia through the walls of the school.

Fluttershy stood frowning at Gold, whom laughed at her, "Oh please, we wouldn't want your face to get wrinkled. Allow me to change your expression!" Gold charged for her, enabling the duel to start.

* * *

Meanwhile, Rainbow caught up with Sunset who stood facing Spark, who faced away from her, "Sunset!"

"Hm? Rainbow?" Sunset turned to see her friend stopping in front of her, "What are you doing here?"

"You can do the flood attack. Pinkie and Fluttershy are still inside, and we don't know if Rarity is inside"

"Oh my gosh, I completely forgot. Thank you for stopping me."

"You weren't going to perform the flood attack anyway...," Spark stood up and manifested the same two axes, "I'll stop you here and now."

"What's stopping you from doing so. I never got to finish my duel with you Spark. How about we settle things Spark," Rainbow readied herself, much to Spark's pleasure.

"As you wish, however, it is your funeral Rainbow Dash. And while we duel, why don't I let my friend here keep you company Sunset Shimmer..."

"Friend?"

A volley of fireballs filled the sky as each of them came down towards Sunset.

Sunset held her hand up to set up a force field, causing a laugh came from the shadows, "Oh, no chant? Impressive...," Soon afterwards, Ruby appeared behind Spark with a smirk on her face. She looked at Sunset, and laughed again, "So, you're helping Cobalt still?"

"He's my friend... I have to help him..."

"Even if it leads you to your death?"

Sunset paused, and drew back her bow, "Yes..."

"Hmph, foolish girl. I'll bury you with that foolish comment," Ruby charged at her, hitting her with a fire punch, and sending her back into the forest that surrounded the school.

"Sunset!"

"Pay attention here...," Spark charged towards her as both of then met in a fierce deadlock.

"This doesn't sound like someone that's loyal. You don't want to fight us. You're only being forced to again..."

"Shut up...," They broke free from each other, and stared each other down.

* * *

Back at the main camp, Cobalt could do nothing but worry, "Rainbow should be back by now. The assault has already been defeated. There's no point in pushing until those cannons begin firing. That should be happening now. And Pinkie's raid on their supply depot, when's that going to end? This is bad Twilight. I gotta get out there..."

"Stop Cobalt. Don't do anything hasty..."

"But we can't leave them like that. I need to help them...," Cobalt ran forward, but Twilight grabbed his arm.

"Cobalt... you can't do everything by yourself. I believe in our friends..."

"Twilight, you failed to defeat me, and Brisk, I don't know if I can trust all of you with this plan..."

"Cobalt..."

"I"m sorry, it's just that if we make one wrong move, we may just end up losing this battle," Twilight tugged on Cobalt's arm slightly, "You're right. I should just trust-," Before Cobalt could finish, a fireball landed in front of Twilight and Cobalt, causing a massive smoke cloud, "What the?!"

"Surrender yourself Cobalt," Onyx appeared from the smoke cloud.

"Onyx!"

"Your defenses are too inadequate," Twilight smirked and stared at Onyx, "Oh, and your so called strategist too. Let's see if you learned more since our last meeting."

"You know what Cobalt? Go out and help them. I'll deal with this old guy."

"Uh, okay...?" Confused Cobalt started to run off before pausing again. He turned to Twilight who gave him a thumbs up. He smiled, and went on to end this battle quickly.

* * *

As Cobalt was running through the battlefield, a cannon barrage came down towards the school.

 _Looks like they got the cannons up and going..._

Then he saw one area of the school explode, and Cobalt chuckled.

 _That's the supply depot..._

Cobalt ran through troops after troops. He would get wounded from the soldiers, but he shrugged the wounds off. After knowing that the plan is going well now, he now has only one thing to worry about..., and that's saving Rarity from Harmony's clutches.

 _There's only one place she could be now. Her office..._

Cobalt ran through the halls of the school. As approached the hall that led to the headmistresses' were filled with all of Cobalt's former students.

"My students, don't tell me Harmony is making all of you do this?" They all nodded, "I don't want to hurt any of you, but you're in my way...," Cobalt stared down at his spear, and looked back at his students, "As your teacher, I command all of you to stand down!"

"I'm afraid the Headmistress has more power than you in the school...," One of the students responded, "We're all sorry Mr. Cobalt..."

"Very well then...," Cobalt made his spear vanish as he ran his hand across the wall. The wall was polished stone, and both his hands turned in that same polished stone. He looked at his students all preparing to fight their teacher. He took a deep breath before running into the fight.

* * *

Meanwhile, the girls had captured their opponents. They had their hands tied behind their backs, and were brought to their main camp.

"To lose to such... amateurs... such a disgrace to all mystics in this realm...," Onyx said in disbelief, "This is just impossible. How?"

"You all indeed have the skill and prowess of a true mystic. However, you lack a specific trait. Friendship..."

"Bah, friendship can't get anyone anywhere..."

"Yet, here you are. We believed in the power of our friendship, and look at where all of you now," Onyx turned away from them as Twilight looked at her friends and said, "Now we wait for Cobalt. I just hope he can save Rarity and himself."

"Don't worry about Cobalt Twilight. He's stronger than the Headmistress, so there's nothing to worry about," Even if Rainbow said this, she was still worried as well.

* * *

Back with Cobalt, he was now in a hallway full of his students who were now knocked out cold, "I'm sorry...," Cobalt says as he ran towards the office of the Headmistress.

He burst through the door and saw her... Rarity. She was behind a plasma force field, "Rarity!" Cobalt yelled.

"She can't hear you. She can't hear anything behind that force field. You of all people should know that my beloved," A seductive, yet harsh voice responded.

"Let her go..."

"So demanding. Shouldn't we catch up Cobalt? It's been so long since we have."

"You're only doing this to be with me. You're a psychopath..."

"Oh, I prefer you not to call me that. You shouldn't call your superior a psychopath..."

"Need I remind you that I'm number one right now."

"Exactly, and I'm number two. After Brisk's death, I moved up."

"Just show yourself so we can get this over with."

"But I don't want to hurt you Cobalt. Maybe I can't hurt you, but there is someone who would like to hurt you, and Rarity."

Cobalt jumped to the side as Lighting came slashing down above him, "Too predictable...," Cobalt stepped back and dashed forward, spinning as he came towards Lightning.

Lightning retaliated by creating a fire vortex around her. Cobalt passed through the vortex as small amounts of his armor caught on fire. He shrugged it off, but saw that Lightning was no longer within the vortex.

"Where'd she go?" He looked around and his widened as it fixated on her within the force field around Rarity. She stood over Rarity, holding her swords ready to kill, "Don't you dare!" Lightning held her hand up to her ear, and chuckled mercilessly. She brought one of swords up, and slashed down, "No!"

Cobalt closed his eyes and opened them for the inevitable. He was shocked to see Rarity holding Lightning by her throat. Her hair looked like how it was when she was mad at Cobalt during their time at the beach, "Rarity?"

"Hm?" She lifted her up, and drove her through the ground, "She wasn't suppose to wake up. Let alone escape that way. I need to warn the-," Harmony attempted to escape, but Cobalt sealed the two of them within a tight floating bubble, "What is?"

"Harmony... why? You were so much different when we were kids. What changed?"

"My love for you Cobalt...I loved you too much to let you go..."

"You wanna know what true love is? True love is when you want that person that you love to be happy. Even if you aren't a part of their happiness. You can't force someone to love another. What you can do... is support someone for who they do love. I love my friends..., and at one point... I loved you. But the love for my friends surpassed the feelings I had for you. The least you can do... is support me..."

"I don't know... if I can..."

It was then the bubble disappeared around them. They dropped to the ground, and Cobalt walked up to Harmony, "Yes you can...," Cobalt reached out to console her, but out of nowhere, multiple spikes stabbed Cobalt through his body, "Ack!"

"You truly sicken me Cobalt. You've only known these girls for a few months. You've known me for your whole childhood. What do you see in them?!" Cobalt couldn't respond. Harmony just started laughing maniacally, "I'll be back for you Cobalt. Maybe then, you'll understand my undying love for you!" Harmony teleported away, along with the spikes.

Cobalt laid on the ground, blood escaping through his body. To make matters worse, his hair changed color again, back to red. He had lost his powers again. His desire was fulfilled... Rarity was safe once again...

"My healing factor... no...," Cobalt crawled his way back to his feet before limping his way out the school, "Must... get to... my... friends..."

Meanwhile, Rarity faced Lightning, who was battered. Lightning grunted as she held her neck. She stared at Rarity, who looked exactly like how she was when she found Cobalt was married..., or... you get the point.

"You...," Lightning was about to say something, but Rarity appeared in front of her.

"I insist you not to say a word to me. I'll have Cobalt deal with you... restrain...," Lightning's arms were now tied behind her back, and soon her legs.

"Let me go!"

"Like I said, Cobalt will deal with you..."

"Rarity!" A wide variety of voices yelled behind her, causing her to turn around.

"Girls!" Rarity ran to her friends, and hugged them dearly, "It's been so long!" The others could do nothing but cry knowing that their friend was now in safe hands. It was then Rarity, along with the others realized someone was still missing, "Where's Cobalt?"

It was then they heard a weak voice answer, "Hey girls, I see that you've gotten... Rarity..."

"Cobalt! You're sa...," Before Rarity could finish her sentence, she was shocked to see a pale, bleeding out Cobalt standing before her, "Hehe, I'm glad... you're... safe...," Cobalt then looked at them and asked, "I'm gonna die... aren't I...?"

Rarity didn't want to say this, but she did, "I'm afraid so..."

"Rarity...," The girls stared at the two as Cobalt chuckled lightly.

"After all that, to finally... see you..., and to die in front of you. War is such a cruel mistress. But hey, it all makes sense right? To war, this is just... business as usual...," Cobalt collapsed onto the ground, and Rarity caught him before he could. He held onto her, and she held onto him. He them said something no one could ever think he could say. "Rarity... girls... I'm scared..."

"Scared of what... Cobalt darling...?"

"Dying, but hey, so is everyone else. That's why... my family strives for that very peace. That is why... I wanted... a place where there is no bloodshed... no war... a place full of happiness... and peace..."

"Cobalt..."

"Please promise me... that you'll make that land... a reality..."

"Cobalt... don't die... don't die on us! That's the last thing we should hear from you. I know I said that you would, but you need to live so you can finally live in that very happiness you're talking about! So please... don't die...," Rarity began crying her eyes out as she held Cobalt tighter and tighter... afraid to let him go.

Their friends followed, crying a river of tears with her. Those same tears fell on Cobalt, causing him to lightly chuckle. He slowly raised his hand, and it shook as he lifted, in an attempt to wipe the tears from her face, "Hey... don't cry... you don't look... good... that way...," It was then Cobalt's hand fell lifeless along with his body. Rarity froze as his body did this. She could do nothing, but hold him as tight as she could.

"No... Cobalt... Cobaaaaaalt!"

* * *

-5 months later-

 _After such a_ _grueling_ _waiting time, Cobalt was revived. Surprisingly enough, he never did really die. He just past out from the blood loss. It was so_ _relieving_ _to here that news._

 _However, due to the amount of blood he lost, he went into a coma. I have yet to_ _know when_ _he awakens. However, when he does awake, he was told to meet the Empress of the Mystic Realm. I had no idea the mystic_ _realm_ _had an Empress._

 _That_ _much_ _doesn't_ _matter to me. All_ _I_ _want... is for my Cobalt to wake up..._

"I am awake you idiot...," Being snapped out of her thoughts, Rarity jolted up to see Cobalt staring at her... with the warmest smile he could ever show her, "Hello again... Rarity..."

"Cobalt!"

 _After_ _I_ _awoke from my coma,_ _I_ _was told that_ _I_ _needed to head to the Imperial Throne Room. I was worried, yet intrigued. I was meeting with the Empress. I was now scared_ _beyond_ _belief._

"Your highness... it is a pleasure to see you...," Cobalt knelt down in front of the Empress, causing her to stop him.

"No, the pleasure is all mine. I asked for your audience so that I may formally make you the new Emperor of the Mystic Realm."

"You're making me... Emperor? Your higness, there must many others who are much more worthy than I am..."

"Those whom you deem worthy all insist on you being the new Emperor. Cobalt, not only have you shown your power on the battlefield, but you've shown such an abundance of benevolence, kindness, and a beautiful heart that's faithful and strong. Your sharing of kindness... is something makes the mystic realm complete..."

"Isn't that copyright...?"

"Huh?"

"Nothing, but are you sure?"

"You wouldn't be here if I wasn't. Cobalt," The Empress stepped down from her throne, and held her hand out, "use your spear, your skill, your power... your kind heart to lead the people to a brighter future..."

Cobalt was still in shock, but he nodded, "As you wish your higness. I, Shining Cobalt, shall use my spear to carve a path of benevolence!"

* * *

-3 months later-

Cobalt walked along the life city of the capitol, viewing the mass amount of street vendors, street performers, and the kids playing along the side walk. Cobalt chuckled as a voice called behind him, "Your Imperial Highness!" He turned to see Scarlet running up to him with Lightning behind her.

 _Scarlet and Lightning, two of my top knights in the Imperial Army. Scarlet soon got her revenge on Sparks for the_ _death of_ _her family. From the help_ _of her_ _friends of cours_ e.

* * *

-1 month before-

Scarlet and Spark stood with their backs facing each other, both of their swords in the air after colliding with one another.

Soon afterwards, Sparks coughed up an inhumane amount of blood before collapsing to one knee. He then spoke, "Where did that anger you had go? You know... when I murdered your family..."

"Cobalt helped give that anger up..."

"Bah, friendship... it's such a facade that you should've seen through..."

"That doesn't matter..."

"Hmph, and yet despite that you would still kill me?"

"..."

"Death... has such a cold... embrace...," Sparks then collapsed onto the ground lifeless.

Scarlet turned towards him and said, "This wasn't for revenge... it was... for my own sense of closure..."

* * *

-Present day-

 _She's_ _been through a lot like me. I have nothing, but undying respect for her._

 _As for Lightning, it took a lot to rehabilitate her. Actually, not really,.._

\- 3 months ago-

"Lightning, what do you have to say?" Lightning was tied, and brought to her knees before Cobalt, "I need an answer..."

"I... don't know what to say..., or if I have anything to say. I was blinded by my own sense of... anger towards your friends. I couldn't see past that anger, and I couldn't stop myself from causing such destruction."

"The most destruction you caused were the roofs you destroyed when breaking through them. If anything, you got destroyed in every duel. However, that's an opening for improvement," Cobalt glanced over at Scarlet, and nodded at her, "Scarlet here will show you to ropes for battling. She'll also help with rehabilitating you. I hope to see improvements from you."

"Thank you your Royal Highness..."

* * *

-Present Day-

 _I'm_ _proud of_ _how far_ _she's_ _come..._

"Ah, Scarlet, Lightning, what brings you out here?"

"We came to get you Cobalt. Don't you remember your ceremony?"

 _A large ceremony is hosted when a new Emperor or Empress is chosen. During that ceremony, some of Brisk's former soldiers attempted to assassinate me._

* * *

-3 months ago-

Cobalt stood in front of a large group of people cheering him on as he waved to his new subjects. It was then from the side, multiple soldiers came running towards Cobalt with plasma swords. Cobalt stood back before Thunder came down, killing half of the soldiers. The remaining soldiers stood in fear of Thunder as he stood over the dead soldiers.

One of the soldiers ran towards Thunder, but stopped when Thunder towered over him. Thunder used his armblade to stab through the soldier, and kicked him off. This caused the other soldiers to run, but were stopped by Scarlet and Lightning.

"As long as my heart beats, and my blade glistens in the sunlight, no one shall touch his Royal Highness!" The crowd erupted with cheers as Cobalt smiled at this.

* * *

-Present Day-

 _Thunder unintentionally became my bodyguard. I never intended for him to become my bodyguard, that was just his choice._

"Yes, I remember, however, don't you think the liveliness of the town is so much better than a stuffy throne room."

"Yes, the benevolence that you've shown the people has clearly increased the livelihood of every nation in the mystic realm."

 _Soon after I was made emperor, the nations were once again brought back to power. Each nation is living in peace from one another. That was the first thing I did when I became emperor._

"Did you call us lord?"

"Y-Your Royal Highness... my apologies...," Scarlet instantly bowed as both Cobalt and Lightning chuckled.

"I'm just joking around. I'll be fine out here Scarlet. I'll be back in the Imperial Palace soon. I'm heading off to... see some... family..."

Scarlet paused and looked at Lightning, "I-I see... I'm sorry for stopping you. Continue on your Royal Highness..."

"Thank you...," Cobalt started to walk off, but turned to face the two again, "By the way, don't call me that royalty bull crap. Just call me Cobalt!" He waved them off before heading off to a place he visits everyday.

"Hehe, no wonder he had that bag with him...," They realized a large bag he had on his back as he walked off.

Cobalt soon approached a large tombstone as he set down the bag. He took down a large place mat. Along with a flask, and a few dish cups. He poured some wine out of the flask into one of the cups and held it up to the tombstones, "Mother, Father..., and my dear sister. I have succeeded in making the land that you so wished for a reality. I hope that this makes you happy...," Cobalt took a drink and exhaled deeply, "However, my battle is far from over..."

"Cobalt!" Cobalt turned to see all of his friends walking to him. Rainbow knelt beside him, and slapped his back, "Hey dude, isn't drinking best done with friends? Don't you agree?" Cobalt stared at the flask, and Rainbow continued, "Hey you know what? I know something that you can't resist. You may be stronger than us, but I know for damn sure that I can out drink you any day!"

Cobalt laughed out loud as he held his flask up, "Ha, you're on!"

* * *

-1 hour later-

"One more!" Rainbow said as she held her cup to a tree in the distance, "Come on... give me another shot..."

Cobalt chuckled as he drunk the cup, "That's some good stuff," The rest of Cobalt's friends laughed as they looked at Cobalt who was still sober, and Rainbow who was seeing some things that they couldn't comprehend.

Cobalt then looked at Rarity before standing in front of her, "Huh? What is it Cobalt darling."

 _I mustered up all the courage in my body to do this, and now I will..._

"Rarity, I've thought about this for the last few months. I've pondered on whether I should or not," He then knelt down on one knee, causing her to blush madly. The others stared in shock as Cobalt reached into his bag, and he took out a ring flock box.

"Oh my gosh..."

"Rarity, you're my heart and soul. I could never think about a day in my life without you," He opened the box to reveal a beautiful cobalt ring, "Will you... marry me?" He looked at Rarity who now had tears in her eyes. He smiled as Rarity tackled him for a hug.

"Yes! Yes! A million times yes!"

"Ahem!" The multiple coughs from the others caused them to look at them.

"What?"

None of them said anything, but a drunk Rainbow spoke for them, "We want... to be your concubines... blegh...," Rainbow fell onto the ground, finally passing out from all the alcohol.

"Rainbow!"

"Concubines? Are you sure, or is she just fucking with me?"

The girls all started blushing as Cobalt looked at Rarity before chuckling, "What do you say Rarity? Will you allow them to be my concubines?" Rarity only smiled seductively.

"Only if I get my time properly with you...," They both laughed at their flustered friends looked away from them.

 _I had finally proposed to the woman of my life, and my friends are now my concubines. I just hope this doesn't get too out of control..._

 _Even so, I'm still worried about one thing. Harmony is still out there, plotting her revenge. The last thing I want are for my wives to be in danger again. To add to it, I don't have my powers anymore. What am I to do with out my powers? I could re-learn, but that'll take too long._

 _Hmph, you know what? Maybe it won't be so bad. I still have my beautiful wives with me... They'll definitely help me get my powers back for sure. I only hope that no more discord arrives to ruin this peace here..._

 _Such a ride we went on huh? So many ups and downs... so much death..., and yet... we end it with a happy ending. I can only guess what the future will bring. Let us hope it's a good future for us all..._

 _Thank you for being here with us through this roller coaster of emotions. I can only do so much. I'll see all of you, hopefully, in the future..._


End file.
